The Heirs
by HeartShapedCandy
Summary: The Founders' Heirs have been found at Hogwarts. Reposted. CHAPTER 6 UP!
1. The Cats

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot!

**Summary:** Hogwarts is in store for some very colourful characters. The Founder's Heirs have been found at Hogwarts.

**Rating:** PG-13

**Ship:** DM/HG

The Heirs  
Redone  
Chapter One  
The Cats

"You know this must be done, Cronus. Godric and Rowena told us that this time would come."

"Why can't their familiars be doing this instead of us, Demeter?"

"Because, Cronus, their familiars are dead. They died thousands of years ago, remember?"

"Oh, yes. I forgot."

The two, Cronus and Demeter, sat outside Albus Dumbledore's, the current headmaster of Hogwarts, office. They waited patiently for him to return from the faculty meeting.

At length, the wizarding world's most respected wizard came into sight.

"Ah. Cronus, Demeter. I was wondering when I was going to see you two again. Come in, come in." The man with the blue twinkling eyes spoke the password to the stone gargoyle and stepped onto the moving staircase.

"This is about _them_, is it not?"

"Indeed it is, Headmaster." Demeter looked around the empty hall, as if expecting a Death Eater to jump out and attack them at any second.

"Their powers are growing, then?"

"Why, Albus, I'm shocked. Don't you know?" at Dumbledore's stumped look, Demeter continued, "their abilities have gotten so strong the gods are beginning to fear them."

"The gods, Demeter? I thought gods weren't afraid of anything."

Both Demeter and Cronus chose to ignore that. After all, their companions _had _prided themselves on being fearless.

"Why do you think Cronus and I are here, Albus? Zeus sent us to monitor them." Demeter looked around as she lightly sprang into a seat in Dumbledore's office. Cronus took the seat next to her.

"Where can we find them?" Cronus asked sullenly.

"Are you telling me that two gods can't find the founders' reincarnations?"

"Our powers are limited in these bodies, Albus."

"If you want me to find something more fitting than a cat's inconspicuous body, say so."

Cronus and Demeter glared at Dumbledore with their slitted cats eyes.

Cronus was a jet black cat. He had a white tuft of fur on his chest. He was a large cat with green eyes.

Demeter was entirely different. She was snowy white and much, much smaller than Cronus. Her eyes were a startling purple.

Demeter raised a paw to swipe at Dumbledore. "Tell us where they are or suffer a god's wrath."

"Oh, yes, the mighty gods wrath." He sighed. "If I must."

* * *

Some distance away, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Draconis Malfoy woke in unison and gasped.

"Cats are coming after me."

* * *

"Hermione, you look horrible. What's wrong?" Ronald Weasley, Hermione's best friend, asked as she sat quietly near the lake at the bottom of the Weasley's estate. Last holidays, Ron's father had been promoted to deputy Minister for Magic. As a result the Weasley's had bought a new home.

Ron and Hermione's other best friend, Harry Potter, sat on either side of her. Ron then realised his mistake. "I'm so sorry, 'Mione." He broke off after Harry's warning glare.

Hermione Granger and Harry Potter were staying with the Weasley's for the remainder of the holidays. Harry was staying there because of Hermione. Hermione was staying there because there was no where else for her to go.

The wound was still fresh.

"Hermione? We're here for you." Harry whispered into her ear.

Harry was 6'5. He had jet black hair and emerald green eyes. His jet black hair was still unkempt. He was well muscled and his shoulders were broad. His sincerity was touching.

Ron was almost a head taller than Harry at 6'11. His hair was a fiery red. His eyes were a deep blue. He, too, was well muscled and the freckles on his face had dissipated somewhat. He was quick to anger.

Hermione Granger was 5'6 and very thin. She hadn't eaten a lot since that day. Her hair was no longer the brown tangle it had been. It had been tamed and was now curled. Her chocolate brown eyes were mesmerising. She had filled out in all the right places.

Hermione was thinking of that day. The one when Voldemort had come to her home to kill her and her parents.

Voldemort and his band of Death Eaters had stormed their mansion and had tortured her parents mercilessly until they had died. He had then unleashed some new power on Hermione. All the while yelling about her parents leaving the wizarding world.

The only reason she was alive now was because of Draco Malfoy.

Who would've thought that inside that arrogant pure-blooded wizard was a troubled boy who didn't hate Muggle-borns? But then again Hermione wasn't Muggle-born. She was a pure-blood. A pure-blooded witch who had been told she was a Muggle-born from the very beginning of her first year at Hogwarts. A pure-blood witch whose parents had lied to her for seventeen years.

But she couldn't blame them for what they did. They had only shied away from magic for her. To save her from Voldemort. It didn't matter what they did, he eventually found them. They had payed severely for running for their only child.

Since she had come to the Weasley's new home, she had barely spoken a word. Mr and Mrs Weasley thought it was the torture of having to see her parents beg for her life, which did it. Harry and Ron thought that it was seeing Draco Malfoy save her life that threw her over the edge.

When in all reality it was the fact that days afterward, she had begun to get strange power surges when she would set things alight by accident – she had touched very little after setting Fred on fire that day she came to the Weasley's. OK, so it was all of it, combined.

"Harry, Ron, thanks for everything." Those five words were the most she had said at the one time.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Maybe she wasn't doomed after all. "It's no problem, Hermione. We love you – we always will, remember that." Harry put his arms around the girl he loved as a sister.

* * *

The pale boy climbed upon his new Firebolt 3 and waited. Waited for what, he didn't know. Then he kicked off and soared in the direction of the Weasley's new estate.

He needed to see her. He needed to know that she was alright.

* * *

Hermione could feel someone watching her. She had a pretty good idea of who it was as well.

It was almost midnight! What was he doing here? Hopefully not to see her. He had no idea how much trouble he would be in if someone were to catch him here.

She went to the window. Sure enough he was there. She slid the window pane up. "Couldn't you wait until tomorrow?!" she hissed.

Draco Malfoy looked at her blankly. "I needed to see you."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Draco looked at his watch. "Its ten past twelve."

"Go home! What if Ginny sees you? Or worse, Ron!" Hermione grew frantic. "What if Mr Weasley saw you?"

"Relax, 'Mione, all I wanted was to see you. I'll go now." He said softly. He put his hands on either side of her face. "I love you-"

Hermione sat up. "Bad dream – Bad, bad, baaaad dream."

She could not have just dreamt that Draco Malfoy had just said he loved her, could she?

It wasn't possible.

But then why did he save her that day?

* * *

The next day dawned bright. Hermione made it her business to go to Diagon Alley. She needed to keep up appearances. Hopefully she wouldn't set too many things on fire today. If she did, she would have to charm everything she came in contact with.

"Hermione, dear, are you ready?" Mrs Weasley called up to her.

"I'll be done in a second. You go on without me." Today, for some reason, she was making a fuss about her appearance. She had decided to wear a black leather cloak with Harry's red Gryffindor Quidditch jumper underneath. Under that was a black v-neck with 'devil may care' printed on it. She was wearing black jeans that were a size too large.

"Ok, Hermione, we'll meet you at Flourish and Blot's."

She ran her brush through her hair and clipped it up. Hermione then proceeded to apply lip gloss.

Everyone would have heard that Hermione Granger was now an orphan and that her parents were killed by Voldemort. They would expect her to be a mess still. It had only been six weeks ago. Well, she decided firmly, she wasn't going to give them what they wanted.

She stepped out of the floo network and very carefully wound her way to where the Weasley's and Harry stood.

Hermione saw something she didn't like about that picture and stopped.

Ginny looked over at her then whispered something to the other Weasley's. Harry's hands absently ripped apart the parchment he was holding.

Ginny Weasley was a short red head – all the Weasley's had red hair. Her eyes, like Ron's, were a deep blue. She was a very sweet person.

Harry, Ginny and Ron came over to where she stood. There was a curious expression on Hermione's face. "What was that about?"

"Nothing important." Harry's hand still gripped the torn parchment.

Hermione cheekily smiled, "if it was nothing important, how come your hand has gone white."

Startled, Harry looked at his hand. He sighed. "You're going to find out anyway so we might as well tell you."

"You'll either find out from us or the Ministry." Ron added.

"You see, Hermione, certain circumstances have come up…" Harry trailed off, looking slightly uncertain.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She whipped out her wand, repaired and summoned the torn parchment and had spun away from the other three in less than two seconds.

_**Granger Family Crisis!!!**_

_Clarisse and Straven Granger were found dead in their mansion in Birmingham. Marissa and Timothy Granger, daughter-in-law and son of Clarisse and Straven, were killed less than six weeks ago. Their parents have followed. _

_Marissa and Timothy were found dead with their 17 year old daughter, Hermione, severely injured. Both Clarisse and Straven and Marissa and Timothy were found under the Death Eaters mark._

_It seems the Granger family is under attack by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named._

_Which Granger will go next…?_

She didn't bother to read anymore.

The parchment Harry had torn apart was the front page of today's _Daily Prophet. _It was anonymous.

Her hand crushed the parchment. "When were you planning on telling me this?" she asked hoarsely.

She didn't wait for an answer. She walked straight out of the shop…

…and straight into Draco Malfoy. Literally.

She buried her face in his chest and cried. Cried for the first time in five weeks. She could hear Harry and Ron calling her. And then there were no more 'Hermione!'s coming from inside Flourish and Blot's.

Draco looked down at the girl he had saved less than six weeks ago. She was crying in his arms. _She must've found out about her grandparents._

He had been there when her parents had been killed. His father was intent on him joining the Death Eaters. That night was to be the night when he was initiated. Whether he wanted it or not. Him interfering with 'the lords' plans were catastrophic.

'Lord' Voldemort had been in a rage for weeks afterward and his mood had rubbed off on his father. His father had then decided to take his rage out on Draco. He told his mother and friends that he had fallen off his broomstick in an attempt at a new move. He thought his mother knew though. She had known he had a natural talent for flying. Not a lot could knock him off his broom.

"Shh, Hermione. It's going to be OK. How well did you know your grandparents, anyway?" at the sound of his voice she looked up, a surprised look splayed across her face.

Then he realised he had called her Hermione. _In public._

He had called her Hermione. That wasn't what surprised her. She wanted him to do it again.

He led her to a nearby café and he set her at a secluded table. He sat opposite her and looked her dead in the eye. "Answer the question, Granger." He smiled.

"C'mon, cheer up. You had only met them for the first time days after your parents were killed."

Hermione looked at him. Really looked at him. His platinum blonde hair wasn't gelled back and it drifted across his eyes with the wind. His grey eyes were that of a storm. He was as tall as Harry. Somehow he had changed.

Draco Malfoy was no longer the cruel boy she had known him to be.

"Thanks, Draco." Hermione would have willingly told him about everything that had happened in the last six weeks. From setting Fred on fire to only beginning to speak again two days ago to her so-called friends not going to tell her about her grandparents.

Would have. Would have if she had not remembered who she was sitting with.

Draco felt an untainted urge to kiss Hermione's open mouth. But then she asked the question he had been dreading. "Why? Why is Voldemort killing off my family? Four Grangers are now dead. How many more?!"

"I don't know. I don't know why he is killing off your family."

"Why?! Why don't you know? You were there!" her voice had risen to a quiet shout. "You were there." She whispered. Tears were rolling down her face freely.

"Please, Hermione, don't make me answer." Draco pleaded. He would tell her anything if she asked him of it. Just not this.

"How many more Grangers' must die before I know why Voldemort is doing this?!"

* * *

She never got the answer to that question. Hermione would find out though. They owed her that much.

It was September first. The day after she had screamed at Draco Malfoy. The day she would go back to Hogwarts.

She had gotten a letter from Professor McGonagall. In it Hermione had been told that she had been chosen as this years Head Girl. It didn't say who the Head Boy was. She had been given a list of her duties and that on every train ride she would have to be in the Prefects compartment or patrolling the train. For the first meeting in the Prefects compartment, McGonagall had supplied a file of things they would have to plan for the year's events.

Hermione was currently walking down the row of compartments, looking for the Prefects compartment. She had lost track of Harry and Ron a while back. Maybe she could meet up with them later.

Wishing, for the thousandth time in the past twenty-four hours, that Draco had told her why Voldemort was killing off her family, she walked into the Prefects compartment.

She froze. A momentary silence. "What the hell are you doing here?"

To add insult to injury, Draco Malfoy was the only other person in the compartment. "I'm the Head Boy, Granger. See you became the Head Girl." He nodded at her chest where the Head Girl badge was pinned. She absently clutched the badge.

"Looks like you and I are the only ones here, Malfoy. What did you do, bribe all the Prefects to stay away from the Prefect compartment?" Hermione snapped.

"Actually, Granger, you're late. Everyone came by half an hour ago. I held the meeting without you."

"Nice to see you care." Sarcasm was the only way to approach a Slytherin who had pissed you off the day before. She sat in the window seat across from him. "You're not going to tell me are you?"

He didn't answer. She didn't expect him to.

She stood. "Well, I guess I'll be going then."

As she walked past him, he grabbed her arm. She looked at him. "I'll tell you."

"Now this is more like it." She mumbled. She sat in the seat opposite him, looking expectedly at his face.

Draco sighed. He had been dreading this since that night at her mansion. "I guess I better start at the beginning." He pointed his wand at the door, putting a locking charm 'Alohamora' couldn't unlock. He put a silencing charm on the compartment. They would need it for Hermione's piercing scream.

* * *

Why did he have to find those two? Why couldn't Demeter find the strongest of the four founders' heirs?

Their presence grew stronger as Cronus approached the front of the Hogwarts Express. He saw the Prefects compartment. Their aura was strongest here.

He walked straight through the sliding door, not even alerting them of his existence.

"…better start at the beginning." Salazar's heir pointed his wand at the door.

* * *

"About time I found the two of you."

Hermione jumped out of her seat. "Whose there?" she looked around. Didn't Draco just put a locking charm on the compartment? And a silencing charm? She saw Draco grin.

"Look down, Hermione."

Confused, she did. A pitch black cat was sitting there. He was looking intently at her. "So, you're Rowena's heir. You're beautiful." Still confused, she blushed. She knew a complement when she heard one.

"What do you mean, 'I'm Rowena's heir'?"

The cat looked at Draco, sizing him up. "And, Salazar's heir, what of you?"

"I'm not Salazar's heir." Draco replied, even though he looked unsure of himself.

"So you are not Salazar's heir?" at Draco's unsure nod, the cat continued. "So drenching your owl that night, without your wand, was a coincidence?" the cat turned to Hermione. "What of you, Rowena's heir? Do you deny the fact that you have been setting things alight with a slight twitch of a finger?"

"How did you –"

"I see denial." The cat tilted his head. "Demeter, I need you here now."

_What went wrong?_ A whisper answered the cat's call.

"Deniability. Having any luck with Godric and Helga's?"

_Better than your luck. These Harry and Ron mortals are accepting who they are._ The whisper replied.

"Harry, Ron?" quietly, Hermione assessed the information given. She knew Harry would probably be Godric's heir. Heir to what though? She was getting so very confused.

"Looks like Rowena's heir just fainted." The cat said to the whisper.

And, sure enough, Hermione was in a dead faint, having realised what was going on.

* * *

"What do we do while the strongest one of us is incapacitated?" Malfoy asked Cronus and Demeter. The black cat, Cronus, had gotten the white cat, Demeter, to make Malfoy accept who he was. The two cats were going to guide the four heirs. Who ironically enough, consisted of 'The Golden Trio' and 'The Death Eaters Son'.

Harry, Ron, Malfoy and Demeter were in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. They were missing the welcoming feast for Hermione. Cronus had disappeared off somewhere. Ron's stomach made a loud noise. He looked up at them sheepishly. "Can we go down to the feast?"

"You go on ahead. I'll catch up to you." Harry said to Ron. Ron practically ran from the infirmary. Once Ron was out of sight, Harry turned to Malfoy. "What happened over the summer?"

_Leave it to Potter to be direct about his friends,_ Draco thought. Unbidden, he glanced at Hermione. "Granger's parents died over the summer, Potter. Or did the Muggles you live with forbid you from getting _The Prophet_ again?"

"I know that her parents died, Malfoy. I want to know what happened between you and Hermione."

Again, Draco glanced at the beautiful girl on the cot. "Nothing happened between us." _Nothing minus the fact that I realised I love her. _

A deep longing had filled his eyes when Malfoy had said that. Harry so desperately wanted that sight to be his imagination.

Potter didn't seem satisfied with that answer. They heard a slight moan coming from the cot on which Hermione lay. Draco turned to see Hermione sitting up, bleary eyed. "What happened?" the stunningly beautiful girl asked. "Harry, where are we?"

"We're at Hogwarts, Hermione." Potter answered. He sat next to her on the cot. "In the hospital wing."

"I had the strangest dream…"

"We had better move down to the welcoming feast. Dumbledore will be announcing who the Head's are pretty shortly." Potter said. He stood and held out his hand to help Hermione off the cot.

Potter led Hermione out of the infirmary. Hermione took one step out the door and stopped. Potter looked questioningly at her. She shook her head and continued to the Great Hall. Draco trailed along behind them.

* * *

"…and the Head Girl for the year is Hermione Granger." Hermione stood to polite applause from all sides of the hall. She looked around the Great Hall. The hall was lit by thousands of candles which were floating in mid-air above four tables. The tables were laid with golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another table where the teachers were sitting. The ceiling looked like the sky outside the castle. It was snowing heavily. "You may retire to your dormitory. First years follow the prefects, please. Mr Malfoy, Ms Granger, may I see you for a moment?"

Hermione and Draco made their way towards the headmaster while the other students went to their appropriate dorms. "You wanted to see us, professor?" Draco asked as they came to a halt in front of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore motioned them towards the corridor outside the hall. He led them up several flights of stairs. "For meals, you will be joining the professors and I at the teachers table. You have your own common room." He stopped in front of a portrait of a Pegasus and a dragon. "I decorated it to fit both your personalities. I hope you don't mind, I had quite a bit of fun." He smiled guiltily, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously behind his half-moon specs. "The password is 'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus.' Have fun."

The portrait swung open and revealed a beautiful common room. There were four loveseats clustered around a huge fireplace. One of them was green, another scarlet, a third was yellow and the fourth was blue. There was an assortment of statues around the room. One Hermione was drawn to be that of a Pegasus. The beautiful marble creature was rearing onto her hind legs with her angel-like wings fanned out around her. She didn't know how she knew it was a her, she just knew.

Hermione continued her evaluation of the room. There were various portraits on the walls. Many of whom were of previous Head Boy and Girl's. There were a few of Hermione and Draco scattered on the walls. Those that were left were of creatures sacred to the school.

The beautiful brunette spied three doors leading off from the common room. Hermione went to the first and opened it. Inside was an elaborate bed room. A huge king-size bed was in the middle of the room. Deep-blue velvet curtains hung around the bed. On one side of the room was a vast closet in which all her clothes were hanging. On the other was a large mirror. A portrait of the Hogwarts crest was on the wall next to it. At the rear of the room was a large writing desk. Two drapes covered a sliding glass door leading to the terrace. This was obviously her room. Hermione backed out of the area and opened the next door.

It was the bathroom. And it was quite large. There was the gigantic swimming pool that was actually the bathtub with the many, many taps. But there was also a rather large shower. It could easily have fitted four people in it with room for them to lie around…or do other things. She scolded herself for having those thoughts.

She went to the next door and knocked. She didn't hear an answer so she walked straight in. Draco's room looked exactly like hers except the curtains were green instead of blue, and they were pulled back, exposing his king-size bed. The covers on his bed depicted a dragon flying above a fluffy white cloud. It was sweet.

As she walked back into her room to get her pyjamas, a thought struck her.

_What if she was beginning to feel for him?!

* * *

_

"They haven't noticed that we're here yet, have they?" Cronus asked Demeter as the two sat on the blue comforter.

"Hermione's denying that we're here still. Draco's noticed us, but he won't say anything. Remember that he was there when Hermione found out about her parentage and he doesn't want to startle her. She's still dealing with the fact that she isn't a Muggle-born." Demeter said, she began washing her fur.

"But don't worry; she'll start accepting it tomorrow."

Cronus looked at his beloved. "What are you going to do?"

"Hermione's going to have a little change of heart."

* * *

Well, how was the newer version? I need 2 know.

Felicity2


	2. Powers

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot!

**Summary:** Hogwarts is in store for some very colourful characters. The Founder's Heirs have been found at Hogwarts.

**Rating:** PG-13

**Ship:** DM/HG

The Heirs  
Redone  
Chapter Two  
Powers

"So, you're alright?" Ron asked eagerly the next day. He and Harry had come to the Heads common room to see Hermione. She had sent Harry an owl telling him where to find the common room last night.

Hermione sighed. "I'm fine, Ronald. It was only a brief fainting spell. It's not as if it's life-threatening." She was sitting on the blue loveseat, Harry was seated on the red and Ron was on the yellow.

Harry pushed his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose. He looked around the common room approvingly. "So, Dumbledore did the décor, hey? It looks great." He stood from the sofa and looked at the rearing statue of the Pegasus. "It almost looks real." He stroked the sculpture affectionately.

Draco's door opened and he stepped out groggily. "What's all the noise?" he demanded harshly. He yawned and his eyes became focused. "Oh, its you."

Hermione blushed noticeably. He was only wearing satin boxers. To cover her embarrassing moment, she looked at her watch. "It's almost eleven o'clock. What are you doing in bed still?"

"What about you? You're still in your pyjamas." He deliberately avoided looking at her. Hermione _was_ still in her pyjamas – a light blue spaghetti strap tee with a kitty on it and long flannel pants made up her pj's.

She rolled her eyes. "At least I wasn't in bed until eleven." She mumbled. She hoped no one had noticed her blush.

Harry _had _noticed her blush. He watched her as she went into her room to change. He also watched Malfoy watch her enter her room. He was going to find out what it was that was going on between those two.

* * *

"We don't have our first class until one." Hermione said. 'The Golden Trio' walked into the Great Hall to see everyone eating their lunch. They started towards the Gryffindor table.

"And what would that be?" Ron asked desperate hope filled his voice.

Hermione grinned at him. "What else but Potions?"

Ron groaned. For the past six years their first class on the first day just happened to be Potions. Once, just once, Dumbledore could have made it so they didn't have to suffer from Snape's cruelty. "Is it with the Slytherin's?" he asked. Hermione's grin grew even wider.

Ron's groan could be heard throughout the whole hall.

* * *

Professor Snape put down the register and looked at each and every one of them before continuing. "This year will be the most challenging of them all. If you are not up to broken bones just from the mere touch of an impure concoction, leave now." No one moved. "Very well then. Mr Malfoy, Ms Granger, go down to greenhouse five to see Professor Sprout. She is expecting you. I want you back in ten minutes."

Draco stood very slowly. Maybe he could make Hermione believe in the next ten minutes? Nope, not enough time. He'll do it later when they had time alone.

She stood and moved toward the door. So far, everything was going OK. She hadn't set a single thing on fire yet! Her hand rested on the door for a brief moment. It was only a moment! And yet it caught on fire. She had spoken too soon.

A jet of water streamed past her. She turned to professor Snape and the rest of the class. Smiling sheepishly, she said, "sorry?"

The class had gone according to plan after that. No more outbursts of flames. As she sat down next to Draco for the evening meal, Hermione noticed that he was unusually quiet. "What's wrong?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't accept it." He replied bitterly.

"Try me." She retorted. A cat jumped into her lap, she absently stroked it.

Draco sighed. "It's just us being the founders heirs. It's nothing important." He glanced down at the cat in Hermione's lap. It was Demeter.

_It_ _is done._ The whisper was in his mind alone. _She will accept it now.

* * *

_

Caressing Cronus' soft fur, Hermione spoke amiably with Demeter. Demeter was rejoicing in her success with Hermione. Cronus was surprised at Demeter's success. Harry was clearly taken aback by the change in Hermione, Ron was in silent awe of Demeter and Draco was just glad that Hermione had finally accepted it. Even if it was some spell that was doing the accepting for her.

_It was good to have a cat again_, Hermione thought. Chrookshanks had died in the attack on her family, the one that had rendered her parentless. He had jumped to her defence, scoring himself a place in her heart forever. She had promised herself that she wouldn't cry over the loyal cat that had given his life for her.

Unbidden, a tear came to her eye. She wiped it away quickly and stood. "It's time for you two to go back to the Gryffindor common room. I'll see you tomorrow." She stretched, covering the tears that now leaked from her eyes freely.

Harry, ever the observant one, noticed them, but chose not to talk about it. He knew she was still recovering from what happened over the holidays. "Night, 'Mione. Don't let those damn nightmares wake you up." Ron said. To Harry's amusement, Hermione's face began to redden.

"We better go, like, now. Before she kills you with her infamous death glares." Harry joked while he walked out the portrait hole. Ron followed after him, keeping a wary eye on Hermione.

After the dynamic duo left the common room, Draco turned to the girl he loved. "Nightmares?" he asked. Earlier that night they had decided to be friends. They owed each other that much.

Hermione walked to her door. "Drawbacks from the attacks on my family, its nothing really important."

Draco could tell there was more to it than Hermione was saying but he chose not to pursue it; she would tell him in time. They said goodnight and went to their rooms. Inside, Draco lay on his bed, thinking.

He might be able to stall the Death Eaters a few days longer while Hermione adjusted to the newly accepted powers she held. She was the strongest of them, they all could see that. She could inflict some major damage if she knew how to control her abilities.

On top of that, she had appeared to care deeply for Cronus and vice versa. Maybe he could get the god to teach her control over her power.

_What's bothering you?_ Demeter's voice was phrased in his mind.

He should've remembered that Demeter could get into his mind! _It's only Hermione. I'm worried about her… Is there anyway I can protect my mind from you?_

"I thought you'd never ask." Startled, Draco turned on his side. Demeter was there, curled up into a ball. "You have more powers than just the water element, you know."

Curious, Draco lifted a brow. "And what power is this?"

"You're psychic."

* * *

Hermione cautiously looked into his room. "Draco?" she called softly.

A soft 'hmm' answered her call.

"Would I be able to sleep in here…with you?" she asked carefully.

"Mm hmm." Was his sleepy reply. He moved over on his bed so she could lie down. He jerked up abruptly. "It's the nightmares, isn't it?" he asked, suddenly wide awake.

"Yes," she answered, suddenly scared. He wouldn't use this against her, would he? She seriously hoped not.

His tone became softer, "c'mon, go to sleep. Tell me about your nightmare in the morning." But she had already dozed off. He looked at the magnificent girl and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Lying back down on the bed, he was asleep in minutes, a faint smile plastered across his face.

* * *

It had become a regular occurrence. Each night for the last three weeks, Hermione would come into his room in the middle of the night, sleep, and wake up to find herself encircled in Draco's arms.

The part Draco liked most about that arrangement was that he could hold Hermione securely to him in the night. It felt as if he was protecting her from the ugly night demons and their torture methods.

If she could, the mornings after her nightmares she would tell him about them. One particular night, Hermione came into his room, crying.

Draco instinctively went to her and held her in his arms while she cried. After what seemed like hours, her tears subsided and her breathing became regular again. Once he felt that she could move, he guided her over to his bed and sat her down. "What was it?" he asked softly. Tears welled in her eyes again. "What did you see? Come on, Hermione, if you tell me I'll be able to help you. What did you see?" she looked away from him.

"I-I can't. It's too painful." She kept her gaze firmly on the bed and not on him. "It's too painful." She repeated, fresh tears falling down her face.

Draco looked steadily into her eyes. "I won't make you tell me, Hermione, but I have to know so I can help." He sighed, giving up. "Go to sleep, I won't ask again if you don't want to live through it." Kissing her forehead, he lay her down gently.

_Its worse this time. _It was not a question.

Draco sighed, he thought he had put his shield up – obviously he hadn't. _It is. _He answered.

_Did you try? _Cronus' voice sounded frustrated. He had become akin to a father to Hermione and he didn't like it when his surrogate daughter was tormented.

_I would if I could. Her mind seems to have become aware that I'm probing it. She won't let me get in there._

Draco looked around his dark room. Cronus was lying on the bed with Hermione, curled up in the space between where Hermione lay and here he would lie when he went back to bed. _I should be able to do it while she sleeps. _Her surrogate father appeared to be asleep.

_I hope you're right. I don't want anything to harm her. Not while she's sleeping and definitely not while she's conscious. _Cronus answered.

The next morning was snowy and dishevelled. Draco hadn't gotten a lot of sleep. He couldn't. Cronus looked at him in an accusing manner. _Did you find anything?_ They used mind speak – telepathy was just too big a word – when they were separated, wanted to speak privately to one another, or when they needed to be quiet.

_Her mind is still protected. She must've come up with a spell to protect her mind from me._ Draco replied.

Cronus sighed; _she had told me she had invented a spell. I, of course, didn't believe her. I must remember to listen to Rowena's heir. _The black cat didn't talk much of times past. Something was seriously bothering him. Draco didn't care to ask, in case his head got bitten off – like with Demeter.

* * *

"It's funny, in an ironic way." Draco said.

"Tis," Demeter agreed.

"The one with the mind probing abilities can't get into the mind it's absolutely necessary to get into. I realise that if we can't get Hermione back to normal, she'll be more dangerous than Voldemort." Draco commented. Harry couldn't believe he was hearing this from Draco Malfoy. He was the one who had saved Hermione _from_ Voldemort! Now he was saying she'd become _worse_ than Voldemort!

Ron, jolted back to reality, "she will be?"

Harry rolled his eyes, exasperated. "No, Ron, she'll be a harmless little bunny rabbit with a bad temper! Don't you get it?" he didn't wait for Ron's reply. "If she keeps having these nightmares and not telling us about them, she'll break down and we'll lose her to the Dark Side."

"We will not lose Hermione to the Dark Side. It's not possible. And I won't let it happen. I can't believe you were even talking about that possibility."

They turned to the sound of the voice. It was Cronus. Harry wondered just how much he had heard.

"Hermione told me about the dream."

They stared at Cronus blankly. "How?" Draco croaked. Harry looked at him. He realised Draco was just as worried as himself. Perhaps even more.

Cronus gave them a Cheshire grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Well, what was it?" the grin vanished.

"I can't say. It's up to her to tell you. Don't rush it from her." Cronus said sorrowfully.

Hermione's door opened. "Why's everyone standing around? Aren't we supposed to get the prefects meeting underway?" she asked.

* * *

The next days were similar to the first few nights in the Heads common room. Hermione hadn't come into Draco's room crying again. They doubted she would cry in front of any of them again.

Hermione discovered something new when she was lazing around the common room. She absently pointed her finger at Draco's door, which was open. It slammed shut, making her jump. Looking up at the door then back to her finger, she tried something.

She balled her hand into a fist. She _felt_ all the open doors and windows slam shut.

* * *

Draco looked up in time to see the room's windows slam close. The echoing gasp around the Charms class was unmistakeable. They felt the power surge as plainly as he did.

* * *

The Defence Against the Dark Arts class were – to say the least – surprised when they realised that they couldn't get out of the room after all the doors and windows had banged close.

Harry indolently began to pace the classroom. He realised it was probably Hermione messing with her powers. But could she do something as big as locking all the students in their designated classrooms?

He didn't want to find out.

* * *

Ron stood back a moment, realising that the door wouldn't budge. It had moved seconds ago, why wouldn't it move now? It couldn't have been the massive power surge…could it?

_Ok, where is everyone? _Draco's voice sounded in his mind. _Is everyone ok…'Mione? _

_I'm in Divination._ Ron said quickly: he was getting very freaked out. _Oh, I'm fine, by the way._

Harry answered next. _Defence Against the Dark Arts. I'm alright. Did you do this, Hermione?_

_Depends what I did. What did I do? _Hermione asked.

_Did you lock everyone in their classrooms?_ Draco asked. A flood of terror raced through Ron's body. Hermione did this? Nah, she can't have…can she?

_Must've. I was just testing out my powers. It's no biggie._

Ron sighed. So it was her. _Can you undo this? _He asked.

_Of course. _

A second later, Ron was sprawled on the ground below the rope ladder leading to Trelawney's loft.

* * *

Ron, nursing a bandaged arm, strode in to Heads common room angrily. Harry looked up and stifled a laugh. "Hermione's doing?" he asked once he had stopped smiling.

Ron glared. "Nah, Cornish Pixies did this." Sarcastically said. He sat on the yellow loveseat, still glaring at Harry.

Harry's smile broke out full force. Jokingly, he called to Hermione. She entered the room and looked around at the two. "What?" her hair was tousled and she looked as if she had been sleeping. Harry looked pointedly at Ron. When Hermione had entered the common room, Ron had turned himself around so she couldn't see him.

She now turned towards Ron who refused to look at her. Sighing, she raised her hand. Ron rose several feet into the air and began to spin around slowly.

"Me?" she asked. Ron nodded and glared in her direction. Hermione dropped her hand – Ron dropped to land on the sofa neatly, wincing as his bandaged arm came to a rest on his lap.

Hermione looked at them, now wide awake. It was, after all, nearly midnight. "We're still going to do this aren't we?" Harry looked at her keenly.

She sighed. "You get Draco—"

"No need, I'm here." Hermione groaned. She didn't want him to see her like this. She was in her pyjamas for Merlin's sake!

"Fine. You guys sit and wait while I get changed." She snuck a look at Draco. He was wearing blue jeans and a green tee. His cloak was draped lazily about his shoulders and his hair was hanging messily. His hair looked cute that way.

Practically running into her room, she went to the closet and looked inside, wondering what to wear. After a while, she decided upon a pair of black jeans and a blue v-neck. She threw a red velvet cloak over her shoulders to keep herself warm. Haphazardly tying her hair up in a pony tail, she walked out of her room. "Why are we doing this, again?"

The three boys jumped. They had been talking quietly amongst each other. They seemed to be doing that a lot when she wasn't around. She was beginning to suspect something wrong when she caught them doing it – nearly everyday. Hermione could only assume it was about her.

Harry was first to speak. "Because you need to master your power. The rest of us can control our powers fully and you're still having trouble when it comes to your telekinesis."

* * *

"Great. Just great. Peachy." Draco groaned. He hadn't meant for this to happen! Of course he had volunteered – but not for this! It was an outrage.

Hermione smiled sweetly. Well, as sweet as one could get when dealing with a very tired, very pissed…very strong girl who just happened to be the love of his life. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you – much." She started to laugh wildly. She gasped. "Sorry. Don't know what overcame me." She looked apologetically at the three boys.

Ron lent over to Harry and whispered audibly. "That was weird." Hermione glared at Ron. She cocked her head.

Ron soared across the room, landing with the unbandaged arm sprawled underneath him. "Ouch." Hermione commented spitefully. "That'll teach you."

* * *

"I hope you learnt your lesson, Ron." Ginny said to her brother jokingly. "If you didn't learn from that experience, I know just what's in stall for you." She and Hermione exchanged looks and gave each other a high five.

They laughed maliciously as Ron turned to them, both arms bandaged and the latest injury in a sling. He glared. "Oh, just wait until I can move my arms again."

* * *

He threw his brandy into the grate and scowled. How could this have happened?! He had made sure that she was close to death when he left…

It was that boy. Draco. He had stopped them in time to make sure she was still alive. He'd boil him alive if he weren't his heir.

Oh, well, he would fix that. It was time to get rid of the Granger girl. For good.

He laughed harshly. He would kill her himself.

* * *

So, how was it? Review!

Felicity2


	3. Disappeared

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot! 

**Summary:** Hogwarts is in store for some very colourful characters. The Founder's Heirs have been found at Hogwarts.

**Rating:** PG-13

**Ship:** DM/HG

The Heirs  
Redone  
Chapter Three  
Disappeared

"Silence!" Voldemort roared.

The Death Eaters quietened quickly. The prospect of the founders' reincarnations had truly unsatisfied them. They knew what the founders' could do when they were alive. They, however, didn't know what limitations the reincarnations had.

Voldemort spoke menacingly. "We know that they have returned. What we don't know is their amount of power. We know who Gryffindor's reincarnation is. What we don't know is who Hufflepuff's reincarnation is. We know that they could kill a number of you before you could even utter my name – not that you ever will.

"What we must know is who the other two reincarnations are." He looked at each of them in the circle. "Which of you have children at Hogwarts?" each of those who had children in Hogwarts – half of those in the circle – stood forward.

"Lucius." Voldemort said, his red eyes glittering malevolently. "Draco is Head Boy? I would expect so of my Heir."

"He is, Master. What are his orders?"

* * *

Draco's hand crumpled the parchment easily and he threw it at his desk. After two months of not hearing from his father – for which he was glad – the stupid, Muggle-hating father of his decided to write him with orders from 'The Lord'. He was to seek out the founders' reincarnations and return to Voldemort with information.

Like hell he would. He could never betray Hermione. He would never tell them who the reincarnations were. He would, at the very least, give them a shock. In two months time.

Cronus and Demeter had mentioned that the war would start in late-December early-January. Draco didn't like the chances. Nothing had happened since Hermione's grandparents had been killed. Nothing. He didn't like that either.

Someone knocked on his door. Reaching out with his mind, he found the person had blocked him out: Hermione.

"Come on in, 'Mione." He called. She poked her head in and pouted prettily.

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked, feigning stupidity.

Draco grinned wolfishly from his seat in front of the fire. "Well, let's see. You're the only one who has been able to protect their mind from me. And you still haven't cloaked your power." He added as an afterthought.

Hermione noticed the crumpled parchment on his desk. "Everything OK?"

She walked to the table instead of summoning the parchment. It was ripped in a few places. Reading it, she covered her mouth with her hand.

_Dear Draco,_

_It has been a while, hasn't it, son?_

_The Lord needs you. It has come to his attention that the Founders Heirs are at Hogwarts. No doubt that fool, Dumbledore, has got them under constant surveillance. Our Lord needs you to find out who they are. As you are his Heir, I expect you will obey his orders. Do not disrespect _this_ command, son._

_As for you saving the Mudblood wench, good move. I didn't think you had it in you. At least you have a sense of character._

_Your father._

"What are you going to do? Are you going to tell him?" her eyes were glassy as she looked upon him.

He went to her. "I won't divulge that information to them." His arms circled her waist. "I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you." His voice was shallow and there was a hidden emotion to it.

"Don't, Draco, just don't." Hermione whispered, eyes closing as if to remember this moment. This moment in his arms.

Draco knew he had gone a little too far and he knew he couldn't stop now. He was so close to telling her how he felt! "I love you, Hermione."

She did the only thing she could think of.

She kissed him.

* * *

Half an hour later, Harry banged on Draco's door. He couldn't find Hermione and he was getting very worried for her safety. He knew she could take care of herself, but he just had that foreboding feeling about him.

A few minutes later, Draco opened his door. "What do you want, Harry?" he asked. His hair was mussed and his shirt was half undone.

Harry eyed him cautiously. "Have you seen Hermione?"

Draco looked back into the room. "Nope, why?"

Harry didn't like the way that Draco had checked the room before he answered. He eyed the half-closed door. "OK." He started to turn away then thought better of it. "If you see her, tell her I'll be with the Marauders."

* * *

He heard a dull thump from inside Draco's room. Harry turned away, smiling secretly. He knew where Hermione was. _And_ she got the veiled message.

"The Marauders?" Draco asked as he watched Hermione scramble around the room, looking for her shirt.

"Yes, The Marauders." She answered impatiently.

"Since I am a fourth of this quartet, I think I should know who The Marauders are." It was not a question.

Hermione sighed. She didn't want to go through this but there was a point to it. "The Marauders are – were – James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Two of which are dead, one a werewolf and the other a traitor."

"Wait. Pettigrew? He was a friend of Harry's father?" Draco asked.

"I'm not finished. In their second year, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had found all the secret passages in Hogwarts. And since they were the best pranksters Hogwarts had ever seen, they decided to make a map that would help would-be Marauders. It shows all the passages and where everyone in the castle is at that exact moment." She was getting put off very quickly.

Hermione had found her shirt at last. "Harry is – most likely – in his room, looking at the Marauders Map – for me." She paused. "And when he finds my little black dot, he is going to be very confused." She buttoned up her shirt and went to the door.

Opening it, Hermione froze. "Oh, no." Harry was sitting in the red love seat. His back was to her.

"I was wondering when you would emerge." He said simply, not turning around.

Hermione ran her hand through her hair and sat opposite him. "You knew I was in there without consulting the Map?" Harry nodded. "How?"

"I saw the attraction between you two: you didn't exactly hide it from everyone, Hermione." Harry said, his eyes grew concerned. "Don't get yourself into a mess. Being with Draco, as you are who you are, could get you into serious trouble. Not just with Voldemort, but also with Lucius Malfoy."

He sighed. "You've found someone you really like. I wouldn't be much of a friend if I told you to get rid of him. I know he'll be right for you."

A dry voice replied, "Thanks for your approval."

"Any time, Draco. You better do right by my 'Mione."

"You're 'Mione?" Hermione asked, putting on a straight face.

"You know what I find funny?" Draco said suddenly.

"What?" Harry asked. "And yes, My 'Mione."

"What happened last year? You remember, Harry, when I told you those things?" Draco pointedly looked away from Hermione."

Hermione glared at the back of his head. "What things?"

Harry grinned unexpectedly. "It is kinda funny, isn't it? Ironic, but funny."

Harry and Draco had gotten over their prejudices the year before and had begun meeting in secret to plan the demise of Voldemort – but they weren't about to tell Hermione that. It seemed as if they had only just come to terms with one another. "What things?" Hermione said deathly quiet.

Draco replied, "Tis"

"Draco, WHAT THINGS?!"

* * *

"Despite what was said about Salazar, he was a very kind and loving man." Demeter said quietly, surprising them all. "He may have disliked Muggles, but he would never have tortured them ruthlessly. He was, perhaps, the nicest of them all. He just couldn't show it."

Ron and Harry exchanged looks, and then glanced over at Hermione and Draco. They were snuggled together on the green love seat. Slytherin's Reincarnation was playing with Rowena's Heir hair.

Hermione spoke, "what were they like, the founders?"

"It _is_ time we tell them, Demeter." Cronus said. He moved away from his place in front of the fire. "Well, Demeter just told about the one she was closest to. I suppose I should tell you about Rowena." He jumped lightly onto Hermione's lap and nuzzled her hand affectionately.

"Rowena was, to say the least, the strongest of the four. She was beautiful, intelligent – all the right things for a woman of her status. She was…odd too, quick tempered." If it was possible, there was a tear in his eye. The big black cat looked at Hermione. "You are very much like her." he said something that startled her. "La bleu corbeau vivre." _The blue raven lives._

Harry, Ron and Draco looked puzzled. Harry and Ron because they didn't know the French language. Draco more so because what Cronus said was cryptic. "What did he say?" Ron asked. He looked as stumped as she did.

"You heard what he said. You figure it out." Hermione snapped at Ron. She gasped. "Sorry." She mumbled incoherently. "I forgot you don't speak French. I don't think he meant for you to hear."

"She's right; I didn't want you to hear." Cronus snapped. He was getting vexed and he simply didn't know why. "Godric was…foolish. He was the curse first, ask later type. He thought more of brawn than brains. That's kind of like you." He shot a quick look at Harry.

Demeter yawned. "I don't particularly want to talk about Helga."

Looking at Draco, Hermione called to Cronus. _What happened with Helga that Demeter doesn't like?_

_It's personal._ Cronus replied silently. _It's just a misunderstanding between the two. It really is nothing important._

Shyly, Ron said something. "Would you tell us, Demeter?"

"No."

"I will." Cronus said with a sigh. "She's pretty much like you. Except smaller and less easy to piss off. Oh, and she's way sweeter than you are. But that could just be because she was a female."

"Don't even go there, father." Hermione said dangerously.

Draco looked uneasy. "Why did the Sorting hat say all those good things about Gryffindor and all the bad stuff about Slytherin?"

Demeter looked up suddenly. "You mean you don't know?" at Draco's nod, she continued. "Before he died, Gryffindor put a spell on his hat. It was a spell of praise. One which would grant him the house of unmentionable glory in the years after his death. He was a good man but he was high up in the arrogance level. That's where Harry and Godric differ. Thankfully.

"The four of them also had familiars. They just happened to be the house mascots. You will need familiars. I hear that three of you already have them. Hermione, you will need to choose one soon.

"They, too, were Animagi. Helga was born an Animagi while the other three had to use the Animagus concoction. Ron, you aren't Animagi." Demeter took a deep breath and continued. It seemed as if she didn't really like talking about the past. "It is your choice, to become an Animagi or stay the way you are. Cronus and I could have the potion ready for you by tomorrow night. What we need to know is if you _want_ to be Animagi."

Cronus looked lovingly at his mate. "Trust me; they'll want to be Animagi."

The four of them exchanged looks. Obviously they all thought the same thing.

* * *

"Have you decided upon an animal, Draco?" Hermione asked as they lay on her bed.

Draco was curling strands of her hair through his fingers. "I'm down to two. A dragon or a leopard. What about you?" his voice was barely a whisper.

"I don't know…I'm still thinking about the possibilities. The wonders of seeing everything from a birds eye view or from the colourless vision-" Draco had seized her mouth in his and was kissing her hungrily.

* * *

"Harry, have you chosen?" Ron asked quietly. He was sitting on his bed in the seventh year boy's dormitory.

"Yep." He had a smug look on his face. "Mine is going to be a lion. Yours?"

Ron bit his lip and decided firmly. "A golden eagle. Don't laugh. It'd be cool to be up there, being able to fly without the danger of getting laughed at by the Slytherin's."

* * *

"So, have you all decided?" Demeter asked.

A chorus of 'yeah's went around the group. Only Hermione was silent. "What is it then?" Demeter asked them all.

Harry beamed. "Lion."

Ron looked smug. "A golden eagle."

Draco looked downright respectable. "Dragon."

Hermione didn't say a thing. They all looked at her. Draco tried to pry into her mind but she felt him approach. _No, Draco._ She told him firmly. "I haven't decided yet."

"Why?" Ron asked stupidly.

She gave him a dumb look. "The possibilities." She answered simply. She looked away from them all and her gaze fixed on the statue of the Pegasus rearing onto her hind legs. Her eyes widened. "I'm going to be a Pegasus." She told them.

Draco looked surprised. Ron looked dumbstruck. Harry looked confused then looked at the statue. Demeter looked satisfied and Cronus looked pleased.

* * *

She slowly walked to the pool of water, wary of everything and yet nothing. Drinking leisurely from the pool, she caught a glimpse of something in the clear reflection. Turning her head sharply, she sighed in relief. It was only an eagle. Ron.

_Have you seen Harry?_ He asked. The eagle landed on a fallen tree.

Hermione sighed. _No, why?_ Hermione was in her Animagi form, as was Ron, as were the other two – who had disappeared on getting their Animagi abilities.

There was a roar somewhere deep in the forest. _Just wondering._ The eagle spread his wings and flew above the trees. _Don't worry: I've found him. And I've also found your boyfriend._

Hermione ducked her head. _What are they doing now?_ She unfolded her angel-like wings and pushed up off the ground. It was great to be up in the air without any constraints.

Narrowly missing a low hanging branch, Hermione joined Ron up high in the air. A jet of fire poured from a clearing not far from them. An evil-like roar joined the stream of fire. _I hope they are not trying to kill each other._ Ron commented wryly.

Hermione growled – which was odd for such a peaceful creature. _They better not be. Or I'll kill them both when I get my hands on them._

_They can probably hear us, you know._

_I doubt it. Come on._ Hermione began to fly towards the constant stream of fire.

When they reached it, they saw two very exhausted teenage wizards. Hermione neighed and both boys looked up. Draco merely gaped and Harry gave looks of praise. "'Mione?" her love asked. She neighed again. "You're beautiful." He said softly.

_Time to be the bitch,_ she said to Ron alone.

It was true. She was beautiful. Her mane was grey with silvery highlights scattered through it. Her eyes remained the same chocolate brown. The fur on her body was pure white. The most beautiful thing about her, though, was her angel-like wings. They were white and had a luminous glow cloaking them. She really was beautiful in this form.

_Thankyou. What was that…show…you put on about?_ Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she stamped a hoof unconsciously.

The two exhausted boys were suddenly rejuvenated. They jumped up and started to explain. _Hush!_ She roared in their minds. Both of them flinched and Ron took flight. _Do you know what could have happened if you were seen?! Draco would be hunted down by the wizards in Hogsmeade and you, Harry, would most likely be shot and killed on sight! By Muggles!_

She turned and took flight angrily, sending a strong gust of wind at the two, knocking them to the ground. How could they be so foolish! Didn't they know that dragons and lions weren't common in England? And they were likely to be killed if seen? Those stupid… She couldn't blame them, as they had gotten carried away and she didn't warn them about the dangers.

OK, so she shouldn't have gotten so angry… at least she cared enough to get mad.

* * *

"Don't fret; she gets like this all the time. Just let her vent it out in peace." Harry said soothingly to Draco. "Trust me, she'll be sober tomorrow."

"Sober?" Draco asked incredulously. "She's not drunk!" he sat down heavily. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten so carried away. Will she forgive me?" he looked imploringly at Harry.

Ron, who had changed back to his human form, answered. "She will, mate. She always forgives me. And we fight constantly."

* * *

The Pegasus galloped through the halls of Hogwarts at a rapid speed. Turning the corner sharply, she stopped abruptly. "Nice Pegasus, good Pegasus." Professor Dumbledore stood there. He reached out a hand and placed it on her muzzle. The wise professor looked at her eyes and appeared taken aback. "Hermione?" obviously he could recognise her eyes anywhere.

_Yes, professor?_ She asked innocently.

He took a deep breath. "You've done it. You've finally become Animagi. I'm proud of you, Hermione." Then, very uncharacteristically, "you go girl!"

She gave him a puzzled look. _Um, thankyou, professor._

She continued on with her race with herself, trying to calm herself down.

* * *

"Where is she?" Draco fretted. He paced the Heads common. "She's been gone for over two hours! Nothing could have happened, could it?"

Harry sighed. "I'm sure its nothing. She's most likely on her way back to the common room as we speak."

Hermione's door banged open and an extremely vexed Demeter and an upset Cronus entered, bickering. "How could they have done this? Why didn't they tell us earlier?!" Cronus nearly shouted.

"They had their reasons. I'm still not sure what those are though." Demeter comforted him.

"How could they have stopped watching her for more than a minute?!" Cronus raged.

The colour drained from Draco's face. "Stopped watching who?" he asked shakily.

Cronus and Demeter stopped, suddenly aware that there were others in this room. It seemed as if Demeter became whiter than usual. Demeter looked at them while Cronus turned his head away from the three enquiring pairs of eyes. "Hermione has disappeared. She's not dead; we just don't know where she is."

* * *

La bleu corbeau vivre Ok, I have no idea if the tanslation for that is correct but apparently it's supposed 2 mean:_ The_ _blue raven lives_ in french. Would someone plz tell me if thats right?

Anywho, Review!  
Felicity2


	4. Men Are Such Babies

**Disclaimer: NOT MINE!!**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I AM SO SORRY FOR HOW LONG IT HAS BEEN. I THOUGHT I HADN'T WRITTEN THE CHAPTER AND I COULDN'T GET THE INSPIRATION FOR IT. **

**ENJOY.**

**IceBitchFSF**

The Heirs

The Heirs

Redone

Chapter Four

Men Are Such Babies

Hermione was thrown into the chair harshly. She stared at the Death Eaters. There was a dirty rag in her mouth, her hands were bound and her face was covered in blood. Whose blood it was, she didn't know; she hadn't gone quietly. She had killed at least five of her attackers before they could knock her out.

"So, you have recovered." A hissing voice sounded at the end of the dark room. Two red, piercing eyes stared at her from the depths of the darkness.

Hermione met those red eyes with an intense hate. "Are you going to try and kill me again?" she asked sweetly.

Voldemort walked into the light. Like the day he killed her parents, he was wearing a sordid black cloak. Like always, it was covered in blood. The blood of his victims. "In time."

Voldemort motioned for the Death Eaters to leave the room. He stood in front of her.

The man she hated most drew a dagger from beneath his cloak.

The blonde boy had his head in his hands. He was despairing silently. There came a knock at the door to his room. "What?" he asked his voice breaking. It had been two days since Hermione had vanished.

Harry poked his head in cautiously. He spotted Draco and tightened his fists involuntarily. At that moment, he promised himself that he would find the wizard who had taken Hermione. Draco would be the one to kill him. "Are you OK?" he winced at his stupidity. "I'm sorry. It is basically my fault she's gone."

In an instant, Draco was up. He pulled Harry into his room fully and pushed him up against the door. "No, I am not OK." He said harshly. Draco dropped Harry and turned away from him, barely suppressing tears.

"Demeter says that Zeus has found Hermione." Harry looked uncertainly at Draco. Cronus had been unable to function well the two days Hermione had disappeared and neither had Draco.

It took awhile for the news to sink in. Draco looked hopefully at Harry, the tears suddenly dry. "Where is she?"

"What?!" Draco asked incredulously. Hermione was at Malfoy Manor?! But how…? His father, he realised, must've set this up. Oh that mother fucking piece of shit! He was going to rip him apart with his bare hands.

Vicious thoughts of murder were racing through his head as he listened to everything Demeter and Cronus was telling them. The rain outside of Hogwarts got harder until the first floor was flooded.

Draco stood up angrily, grabbed his cloak from the back of his chair, and stormed out of the common room. Cronus looked up, and then ran after him. After a few moments, Ron, Harry and Demeter followed them out.

Hermione looked up wearily as the door opened again. Voldemort this time, not Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy senior had come into her cell every hour. Always to taunt her, never to harm her.

She dropped her head, making her hair fall over her eyes. "Come to kill me now?" she asked. When he had come into her cell the last time, he had slit her wrist and taken a vial of blood from her. She had a very dirty bandage covering the cut from his dagger.

"Afterwards." He replied simply. He stood in front of her and pulled his wand from his cloak. Flicking it, he made her stand and move out of the cell.

She could easily summon his wand from his hand, if only she had the strength. They walked for what seemed like hours. Finally, they came to a closed door. Opening it, Voldemort pushed her through.

It was a bed room. There was a king size bed in one corner of the room.

Voldemort pushed her towards the bed.

Draco swooped down to the forest on the border of the Malfoy estate. He was disgusted with himself and with his father. Himself for leaving Hermione alone and not going after her. At his father for taking Hermione when Draco clearly told him to back off.

He hoped he wasn't too late.

"Get off me!" Hermione cried. She kicked Voldemort in the ribs and jumped off the bed. But Voldemort was too fast. He flicked his wand at her. She fell to the floor, the use of her legs diminished. She was half naked, as Voldemort had torn at her clothes savagely.

Voldemort advanced on her. He lowered himself upon her.

"Where is she?" Draco threw his father against the wall and held him there. Malfoy Senior just smirked.

"Where is who, son?" he asked, a sickly-sweet smile plastered across his face.

Draco's fist connected with Lucius' jaw and threw him to the ground; he pulled his wand from his cloak and aimed it at his father. "Where is Hermione?" he gritted his teeth.

Lucius just stared up at his son. "You wouldn't kill your own father, would you?"

All the while, Draco was prying his mind for the information needed. He had found it at last. "_Stupefy!_" his wand was still pointed at his father. Lucius sunk to the ground.

Draco called to Harry and Ron, who were in another room, keeping watch. They entered, saw Lucius' body and threw questioning glances at Draco. "Sadly, he's not dead."

"Where is she?" Harry asked quietly. He really did feel sorry for leaving Hermione by herself.

Draco paled noticeably. "She's with Voldemort. In his bed chamber."

Hermione's eyes were filled with a hate so fierce, any normal person would have quaked under her stare. As Voldemort put his tip to Hermione's virginity, a massive fire ball was forming just above his head.

Hermione struggled against him one last time. Of course, she didn't get anywhere. Voldemort slapped her hard across the face and continued with his brutal assault. Tears were beginning to fall down her cheeks.

As he pushed into her again, she brought the fire ball down on his head.

As she expected, he pulled out of her and screamed in agony.

Hermione erupted into action. She stood and looked at the fiery form of the man bent double in front of her. She kicked him in the ribs and turned away in disgust, rubbing at her eyes rapidly. She looked to the sound of the door opening.

"You were coming to save me?" she asked.

Draco looked at her in disbelief. "How?" he managed to stammer. He walked further into the room and looked at Voldemort, whose flames had begun to subside.

"Forget that, let's get out of here."

On their way out, they encountered very few…inconveniences. Five Death Eaters, one carrying a long sword the other four only their wands. The one with the sword must've been feeling very brave because he raised it and cried out a very un-Death Eater-like howl and ran towards Harry.

Hermione was expecting something like this and shoved Harry out of the way. She kicked the blade out of his hand. The Death Eater fell back in shock. Swooping down and grabbing the sword, Hermione spun and levelled it at the Death Eaters throat.

She smiled grimly and removed the long sword from the hollow of his throat. "I could have killed you. I could still kill you – if I so choose. I suggest you run." The Death Eater scrambled to his feet. He looked back to his men. "Tell them if they attack us again, they will not be as lucky as they are now."

The Death Eater nodded and fled, taking his companions with him.

Hermione looked around to see if there was going to be any more interruptions. There wasn't.

Hermione held up her hand, "now's not the time." She said, seeing Ron open his mouth.

It wasn't. Not when they were in the middle of the enemy's encampment.

Ron whooped in glee. "Yes!" he exulted. They had gotten out of Malfoy Mansion with out being delayed too long. Hermione hadn't had to kill anybody with the long sword she had taken from the Death Eater she had let go.

It was amazing that the Death Eater had her weapon of choice. Coincidental as well. Hermione wasn't about to dwell on it though. The other three wouldn't let her.

The odd look that Harry gave her as she sat down in the Heads common room was tearing at her heart. In all the years that they had known each other, she had never spoken of her home life except for when she and her parents would go out of state on holidays or business trips.

He looked at her expectantly. Hermione sighed. "When I was ten my parents decided to get me trained in self-defence. Both with armed and unarmed combat. They let me choose the style of unarmed and they enrolled me in an academy for self-defence. I'm excellent with a long sword." She wouldn't tell them the reason why she had to take those measures.

She grinned at them. "And to think all this time, you thought you would have to protect me." She looked pointedly at Draco, the grin had vanished.

He smiled suddenly. "You do realise that you definitely _are_ the strongest of the four of us."

Hermione grinned again. "I know." She said cheekily. Glancing over at Harry and Ron, she saw something that startled her.

"What did I do _this_ time?" she asked Ron, exasperated.

Ron stood, his face had turned red. _There's always something,_ she thought angrily. _What _did_ I do this time?_

Harry, seeing that both of his best friends faces had gone red or white with rage, caught Draco's eye. He nodded and they left the common room to the explosion it was about to experience.

"What! Ron, that's ridiculous! You never asked about my life away from Hogwarts until now!" Hermione shouted at Ron.

Didn't he realise that she had been secretive about her life was because no one ever asked what her life was like! She hadn't been lying to him or Harry, just embarrassed. Embarrassed because, she thought, if they had found out that hers was the richest family in England they would think she was just a rich kid who was buying her way through Hogwarts.

Didn't he realise that she had been scared? Scared of their reactions when they found out she lived in a resort-sized mansion. Scared of the wealth she would inherit in a few days.

Her parents, in their will, had said that in the year of her eighteenth birthday, on November twentieth, she would inherit the sixty seven-billion dollars they had left her, making her the wealthiest eighteen year old girl in the world. Wizarding and Muggle. It was the seventeenth of November today.

Ron took a deep breath. "Why didn't you tell us?" he asked calmly, as calmly as he could.

She didn't want him to know her past till it was time to go to London, in three days. "I was scared." She answered simply, her voice soft. "Surely you could understand that."

When their voices had subsided, Harry and Draco poked their heads into the common room. Ron was hugging Hermione while she cried into his shirt. "You think they're talking again?" Draco asked quietly.

"Of course they are. Do you think Hermione would let Ron touch her if they weren't?" Harry answered matter-of-factly. "C'mon." he walked into the common room to see if Hermione was OK.

It was the nineteenth of November already. Hermione was looking for Draco and professor Dumbledore. She hoped she found the latter first. She passed the third floor corridor and stopped. Professor Dumbledore exited a room she didn't even know was there.

He saw her and beamed. "Miss Granger, how are you?" he called cheerfully.

"I'm fine, professor. I need to talk to you about something." She said uncertainly.

His twinkling blue eyes met hers. "Please, go on."

She expelled a sigh she didn't know she'd been holding. "Something has come up. I need to go into London tomorrow. To fix a few things up with my inheritance and with my mother and fathers interests when they were alive."

"You have my permission to go, Miss Granger." He said genially.

She smiled. "Thankyou, professor." She went in search of her boyfriend.

She found him, in a courtyard on the east side of the Hogwarts grounds. He was sitting on a bench, toying with a red rose in full bloom. Hermione came up behind him and threw her arms around his neck.

Kissing his cheek, she whispered in his ear. "I need to talk to you."

He tensed. "Sure." He swung her around to face him. "What did you want to talk about?"

She looked around. "Privately. Where I know no one can hear us."

Draco stood and led her into the castle and to an abandoned transfiguration room. He put a silencing charm on the room and looked at her. Again, he asked, "what did you want to talk about?"

She started. "I have to go to London tomorrow. It's to do with my parents will. I-" she stopped, how was she going to explain this? It wasn't as if he would get sixty seven-billion dollars when both his parents were dead. He'd be lucky if he got ten-million.

"I have to go to set up the accounts where my inheritance is going to go." She took another deep breath. "I'm the heiress to a sixty seven-billion dollar empire." She closed her eyes, not wanting to see his reaction.

A pair of strong, massive hands held her face. "And you think that your being richer than I am is why I'm with you?" he asked softly. When she didn't answer, didn't open her eyes, he said softly, "I've loved you since fourth year, Hermione, since the Yule Ball. Before anyone knew you were as wealthy as you are."

She opened her eyes. The honesty in his made her believe him. "You did?" at his nod, she continued. "Than you will respect my wish to go alone?" she asked quietly.

He nodded and smiled.

The meeting time was scheduled at nine o'clock in the morning and she might not be back till late at night, not if she wanted to see the money to where she was going to put it, she told him this and he listened patiently.

The next morning, she woke before dawn. She couldn't sleep. Well, she was up now; she might as well get ready for this _meeting_. She couldn't bring herself around to say it was something good. She had _never_ wanted the kind of money she would have in a few hours.

She must keep in mind that she was only doing this because it was what her mother had wanted. She'll find something good to do with it.

When she stepped out of the shower, she walked to her bedroom with nothing on except a towel. She walked to her wardrobe and pulled it open. Inspecting its contents, her eyes fell upon a navy blue suit with a white men's shirt.

She looked at the banker, measuring him. He was in his early forties – maybe late thirties. He was tall. His dark hair lay flat on his head. Sapphire like eyes shone with appreciation. She didn't want to know _what_ he appreciated.

He looked as if he was the kind of Muggle that thought of nothing else but money and power.

"So, you're the man that my parents hired to keep their wealth secured?" she said kindly. "And, just who are you?"

"Miss Granger, how nice to see you again. I'm Jonathon Prince – but you can call me Jon." He offered her a seat. She took it gladly.

Again? She had never seen this man in her life. "I don't believe we've met." She said.

He sat at his seat on the other end of his desk across from her. "We haven't. I've seen you at a few of your parent's parties. You stayed to yourself at each of them that I had been to."

He loosened his tie a little and looked at her. "Well, let's get down to business."

Hermione kept the money in eight separate bank accounts. Four in Gringotts and four in the Muggle bank. She also decided to keep Mr Jon Prince as her accountant. She could've done it all herself but she didn't feel the need to. She would pay him a fair amount to come to her mansion once a month and go over all the accounts. Obviously he thought he might become rich if she were his 'boss'.

Hermione decided she'd take a small portion of it to Hogwarts with her, just in case.

As she made her way back to Diagon Alley, Hermione decided to stop at the Leaky Cauldron for dinner; it was well past meal time at Hogwarts and she didn't want to bother the house elves. Hermione ordered her food and waited for it to arrive.

Looking around the Leaky Cauldron, she saw someone she hadn't expected to see for a long time. "Viktor!" Viktor Krum, one of her ex-boyfriends and a famous Quidditch star, sat at the opposite side of the inn. She smiled when she saw who he was with.

Krum looked up at his name. "Herm-o-ninny!" he called back to her. He pulled the girl who accompanied him with him.

"Vot are you dovink here?" he asked. "I vought you vould be in school."

"Yes, Granger, what _are_ you doing here?" the girl who was with him was Cho Chang. A girl with a bad temper who hated Hermione with a vengeance.

Ignoring Cho, Hermione said, "What are you doing here? I thought you would be at that Quidditch match."

"I've given it up." He replied. Tom, the inn keeper, brought over her food and she smiled gratefully and paid the man.

Hermione looked at Viktor unexpectedly. "That's interesting." She said, bored. "What brings you here?" she asked.

"I'm going to start teaching at Hogwarts."

She choked a bit on the honey chicken she had just put in her mouth. "You are?" she picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth. "What position?"

"Transfiguration." He said. "Provessor McGonagall vont be continuing next year."

_Funny_, she thought, _why haven't I heard any of this?_ "Pity I wont be there next year." It was a pity. After Hermione had broken up with him, they had vowed to stay friends.

She finished her meal and stood. They shared a quick embrace and Hermione left. While she was here she might as well pick her friends up something.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something that glittered dangerously. She was drawn to it.

It just _happened_ to be a sword. There was six there, actually. Each had a different animal's head in ivory on its hilt. Hermione saw one with an eagle's, another with a lion's, and one more with a dragon's head.

Hermione looked at the clerk. "I'll take these three." She said. Then a thought occurred to her. "Do you custom make swords?" the clerk nodded. She drew a piece of paper from inside her robes. She got terribly bored when she was in a few classes – mainly because she knew the things already. It was a design for a sword she had drawn. She handed it to the clerk.

The clerk added up the total and she wrote out the check. She was going to use her fortune for good.

Flooing back into her room in the Heads tower, she deposited her gifts and sat down heavily. She was tired and she didn't know what she was going to do with her inheritance.

_Maybe I'll give it to charity,_ she thought tiredly. _I'll think about it when I'm awake…_

Pain seared her right arm and she jolted up from her position on her bed. "I'm up!" she looked around, bleary eyed. Draco stood above her, Cronus attached to her arm. "What?" she asked them.

"Nothing." They answered in unison. She looked at them suspiciously.

"Then go away. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

It was Draco's turn to look at her suspiciously. "Why didn't you get a lot of sleep last night?"

"I was shopping, now go AWAY!" she threw up her hands and a tree outside Hermione's window burst into flames.

Draco levelled his hand at the burning tree and the fire was relinquished with a jet of water. He and Cronus exchanged looks and darted out of her room.

After that, she couldn't get back to sleep. She stormed out of her room and glared at her boyfriend and surrogate father. "I'm up now, what do you want?" she said grouchily.

Harry had joined the two while she was trying to get back to sleep. "Did they wake you up, 'Mione?" he asked innocently.

She ignored that. "That was the best sleep I had gotten in months! Why'd you have to go and ruin it?"

Draco grinned. "You were screaming. How can you call that the best sleep you have had?"

Hermione's face had gone white. "You OK?" Draco asked his grin had vanished.

She looked down and nodded. She didn't want them to know it but she had been reliving her parents' deaths last night, in her sleep. A tear fell from her eye to land on her tightly curled hand. "I'm fine." Hermione rubbed at her eyes quickly so as to not let her friends see her tears. "I'm going back to bed." She raised her tear streaked face and went into her room.

Draco moved to follow her but Harry placed his hand on Draco's shoulder gently. He shook his head, silently the two boys sat back down.

Dimly, Hermione heard her door open and close. She buried her face further into her pillow. Someone sat down on her bed lightly. Hermione glanced up, surprised not to feel arms wrap around her waist.

Professor McGonagall sat on her bed. "Hello, miss Granger." She sighed. "Did you want to talk about it?"

"Why aren't you coming back next year?" Hermione blurted.

The old woman sighed again. "I'm too old, Hermione."

Hermione wasn't about to tell this woman what was bothering her. Finally, McGonagall gave up and left.

Draco paced his room worriedly. Hermione had been very distant the last few days. He didn't know what he was going to do. He was constantly trying to get into Hermione's head to see what was wrong but her mind was still wary to him.

He sighed in defeat. Maybe it was him. Maybe the reason she was so distant was because he had done something wrong.

He would ask her about it.

"Guys!" Hermione called. She stepped out of her bed room to find the three boys sitting on their sofas. She carried three boxes with her. A scabbard under her cloak held her new sword.

Harry, Ron and Draco looked at her. "I, umm, bought you all something when I was in Diagon Alley a few days ago." She gave each of them a box. They each gave her a weird look. "Early Christmas present."

Draco took the lid off his box. "Thanks, 'Mione. Just what I wanted." He stood and kissed her cheek. It was the sword Hermione had seen that had the Dragon head in ivory on its hilt.

Two pairs of arms wrapped around her waist and stayed there. "Now you can give us those fencing lessons." Ron said to her.

Hermione's hand found its self to the hilt of her long sword. "Care to start now?" she drew the sword from beneath her clothes and placed the tip of it on the floor, leaning on it. Once she tested the sword out, she would find a suitable name for it.

She decided to call the sword 'Raige'. It had a sort of influence to it that Hermione liked beyond all reason. Almost as if it knew what it wanted. Its hilt had an intricate design, one only the best could inscribe. The butt of its hilt had a Pegasi's rearing form engraved onto it. When Raige clashed with another sword, it made a sound that was purely angelic.

Hermione spun and blocked another attack from Harry. "You sure you want to do this, Harry?"

Sweat dripped into Harry's eyes. "Of course."

_You asked for it._ She said in his mind. Talking took all the fun out of sword play.

Hermione cocked her head innocently. She faltered and as Harry raised his sword to meet hers, she swung immediately into a crescent. She stopped Raige inches from Harry's throat. Lowering Raige, she raised an eyebrow.

Harry stumbled back and gasped for air. "OK, I admit it. You're better than me and I should not have asked for what you gave me." He looked up at her. "Happy?"

Hermione smirked. "Very." She turned to Draco and Ron.

They backed into the wall and shook their heads.

"Men are such babies."


	5. Another One

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

Please be aware, that I rewrote these ages ago and never got around to reposting them. I'll only post how many chapters I've rewritten, then I'll b considering this fic abandoned. Its merely because my writing has gotten a lot darker and i have no more interest in "the Heirs". I apologise to those who enjoy this story but i just cannot write them any more.

Enjoy while you can!

IceBitchFSF

The Heirs

Redone

Chapter Five

Another One

"Hermione?" Draco asked, breaking the silence that had plagued them. They had just come from another brutal training session. Draco and Hermione had been left alone to their own business.

Harry and Ron had left, mumbling incoherently about showering and flowers. Not that _they_ liked flowers.

Hermione had gotten over the fact that she _had_ sixty seven-billion dollars and was beginning to enjoy her life again. She had recovered from _that_ thing with Voldemort as much as anybody thought she would. Every now and then, she would be found crying into her pillow on her bed. But that was to be expected.

Hermione shifted in his arms, she was reading quietly. "Yes?"

Draco looked down at her fondly, "what are you doing after Hogwarts?"

She looked up at him quickly and put her book down. "I don't know, I haven't really thought about it." She stifled a yawn. "I might become an Auror. Why?"

Draco looked away. He felt Hermione snuggle deeper into his arms. "I was just wondering." Looking back at her, he realised she had fallen asleep. He lifted her up carefully and took her to her room. Laying her down on the bed he kissed her forehead and lay down next to her.

Christmas morning found Draco bouncing on Hermione's bed excitedly. "Up, 'Mione. Get up! It's Christmas!"

Dazedly fixing her eyes on him as she moved to the tree in the Heads common room, she glared. She checked the clock on the wall, having not put her watch on.

"It's five thirty, Draco!" she yelled tiredly. "Wake me up in thirty minutes!" she slouched onto the yellow couch, not bothering to cover herself with a blanket.

She was roused five seconds later with the arrival of her best friends. "Gods be cursed." She said aloud.

Cronus and Demeter looked at her with sad eyes – at least, she thought it was sad. They shook their heads and sat on a couch.

Hermione looked over at Draco, Harry and Ron. A tinge of sadness filtered through her. _They are so happy, here, the way they are._ She slapped herself mentally and cursed silently. They had families, Harry didn't but the Weasley's were almost mother and father to him. She couldn't envy that of them.

Draco sensed that she had let her guard down, but he chose not to go into her mind. But he did sense that something was seriously bothering her. He glanced up at her and saw that her eyes were glazed indicating she was deep in thought.

Draco pushed a small box into her hand. She looked from the box to Draco, clearly confused.

Realisation dawned on her. _It was Christmas!_ A time to be merry. A time to exchange gifts.

A time to spend with her family.

And she _was_ spending it with her family. Her family consisted of Harry, Ron, Cronus, Demeter and Draco. They were as close to a family as she would ever have again.

She opened the box. "Draco, it's beautiful!" inside the small box was a gold ring. The small band had a tiny but pure sapphire embedded in the gold. Two equally sized diamonds were on either side of it.

Hermione's eyes were suddenly brimming with tears. She flung herself at Draco and cried into his shirt. Draco, suddenly burdened with a crying girl, glanced around to see if anyone had seen. They all had.

Draco bit his lip and patted his girlfriends back. Her mind was still unshielded. He used this opportunity to see what was wrong. What he found disturbed him.

Hermione, eyes dry, hugged Draco tighter. "Don't you ever leave me." She whispered firmly.

To which Draco replied, "I won't."

Harry cleared his throat. "I, umm, invited someone to join us today."

"Yeah, me too." Ron said.

Hermione looked at them. "Who?"

They grinned. "Now that would be telling."

Hermione looked at Draco, with a knowing eye. They both thought the same thing. _Girlfriends_.

It was now seven o'clock. The _someone's_ they had invited turned out to be Ginny and Lavender Brown. As soon as Draco let them into the common room, they went to their respective men – Ginny to Harry and Lavender to Ron.

Hermione grinned suddenly. _Her boys were growing up!_

Draco noticed her grin and threw a pillow at her. "What's so funny?" he asked when she sat back up.

"Oh, nothing. Just the thought of your tousled head after I throw the pillow back at you." She followed her words with actions, throwing a pillow at him. His hair was indeed tousled.

"This means war, Granger." He threw the pillow back at her.

Hermione ducked and it hit Ron. "What was that for?!" he bellowed playfully.

Ginny started laughing; Ron threw the pillow at her. Harry threw the pillow at Ron but it missed and hit Lavender. Basically, Draco had started a massive pillow fight.

Hermione ran to her room, narrowly dodging a pillow. It hit the wall next to her. Ginny and Lavender followed her in. She quickly put a locking- and a silencing charm on her room.

Lavender was sitting on her bed, looking extremely put out. She had long, black curly hair and her eyes were a light shade of blue. She was as tall as Harry. Hermione couldn't tell what was under her cloak, she didn't want to know. Lavender was a pureblood who had never ventured into the Muggle world. "We need a plan of action."

Hermione looked at her oddly. _A plan of action?_ They weren't at war with their men. "That we do." Ginny put in.

What was going on here? Surely they didn't think their men had set this up?

_What's going on?_ Hermione silently asked their boyfriends. _Ginny and Lav are beginning to think that you guys have turned on them._

It was Draco who replied. _They are?_

_Yes, they are. Care to tell me what's going on?_

No one answered. _FINE!!_

Hermione resolved to glare hatefully out the window.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked carefully.

"What?!"

"We need help with this plan. Care to help us?" Lavender asked. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed. Ginny was across from her.

Hermione sighed. "Sure."

Lavender and Ginny told their plan to Hermione. Once they finished, Hermione had an evil glint to her eye. "Let's do it."

Hermione recovered from the initial shock of being knocked to the ground as soon as she opened the door. Draco had tackled her. Harry and Ron had stormed her room, grabbed their girlfriends and dragged them into the common room.

Hermione could barely see past Draco but she knew that Harry was tickling Ginny mercilessly; Ginny was cackling with laughter.

She was caught up in Draco's eyes. The stormy grey that clouded them was astonishing. She lowered her lashes so she wouldn't have to accept the full weight of what he was stirring in her now.

He lowered his head to meet her lips. The kiss started gentle, and then became more passionate.

Hermione put her hand firmly on his chest, pushing Draco away softly. "Later." She said faintly, her voice hoarse.

Draco nodded and rolled off her.

They sat at the Christmas tree and exchanged gifts. Hermione received a beautiful diary from Ron; a silver anklet from Harry; the usual box of treats from Hagrid, complete with homemade treacle fudge; a baby blue cloak from Ginny; a box of peacock quills from her butler, Henry. She couldn't forget the customary jumper and homemade pies from Mrs Weasley.

Nor could she forget the box of gifts her Aunts and Uncles sent her. From her Aunt May came a new set of dress robes. Her Uncle Jeremy had sent her jewellery and a letter. Her other aunt, Faye, had given her a Firebolt 3. _That_ aunt was Quidditch bred. None of her aunts or uncles had children and they were all unmarried. As a result, she was spoilt rotten. But then again, that's what happens when you're rich.

The letter was some bad news.

_Dearest Hermione,_

_How have you been? Having fun in your last year in Hogwarts? Well, I can't delay this any longer than I have to._

_Your uncle Cornelius was killed a few days ago. The ministry is trying to keep it quiet but so far only that Skeeter woman got wind of it. May had to stop that article from getting published. _

_It has been a long time since the attention of the Wizarding community has been focused on our family. Eighteen years in fact, when you were born and your parents had to give up magic._

_Cornelius' funeral is in two days, on the twenty seventh. Dumbledore has already been notified and you have been given leave to attend it. You may bring those two friends of yours with you. I have also arranged for a team of auroras to escort you to the funeral, for your own protection._

_I will be seeing you at Corny's _('Corny' was Cornelius' nick name.) _funeral. _

_Your uncle, Jeremy._

Tears ran down her face again. Draco noticed and asked what was wrong. She was oblivious to everything that happened until Harry had tackled her. She threw her hand up and everyone (except her.) in the room was thrown into the air. She ran into her room, dropping the letter at the tree. The levitated ones dropped to the ground.

Ginny picked up the letter and read it. She put her hand to her mouth and looked at them.

"She's lost another one."

The twenty-seventh came and Hermione was found sitting in a courtyard amongst the snow.

Draco came up and wrapped his arms around her midriff. "I'm coming with you."

A tear slipped from her eye and she nodded, too choked up to say anything.

It was a private funeral. Cornelius was to be buried on the Granger grounds, next to his mother and father. His sister in law and his brother were placed above him. The 'Granger grounds' was going to be her home, after Hogwarts, until she deemed it safe to return to her resort-sized mansion.

As Hermione looked at her mother's grave, she desperately wanted her to be alive again. She was confused beyond belief and her mother had been the only person who had been able to put her mind at ease. Tears began to flow down her face freely again.

A tanned hand holding a tissue came into her vision. She took the tissue and looked at the man who had given it to her.

It was her uncle Jeremy. "Those of us who are left need to stick together." He said simply. He was her mother's brother.

When Marissa had been alive she often talked about her brother. Just where no one could hear her talk.

Uncle Jeremy looked a lot like Marissa. His short, brown hair lay flat on his head. His eyes were a blue (much like her mothers). He was tall and he was well muscled. He was wearing black clothes, mourning attire.

His smile was sad. He hugged her and she hugged him back.

"I miss her so much." She said quietly.

"We all miss her." he replied.

Hermione let go of her uncle and looked down at her father's grave. "I wish they were never killed." She said bitterly.

A throat was cleared and Hermione turned around to see who it was. It was Harry, Ron and Draco – her three boys. Draco came over to her and hugged her tightly. "C'mon. Let's go back to Hogwarts." He said quietly.

Jeremy looked up, "I thought you would stay for the sermons?"

"We are." Hermione said. "I've got something to say about Uncle Cornelius. And don't forget the dinner afterwards." She cast a look at Ron. His face had brightened at the word 'dinner'.

The sermons went quickly. Hermione said a few short words and left it at that.

"I didn't know Uncle Cornelius very well but there is one thing I know: he was a good man. Always looking on the bright side of things. He was a very optimistic person. I heard that when he died he had a smile on his face…" she broke down in tears and couldn't continue.

Later, as she sat at the head of the table in her grandparents mansion, her Aunt May came to her, holding something in her wizened hands. "I found him in Cornelius' study. He was lucky to be alive."

Aunt May was a beauty. Her black hair was sleek. Brown eyes stood out blandly. She was shorter than Hermione at 5'4. She and her twin, Aunt Faye, were totally different people.

Hermione looked at the thing she was holding and saw it was a small Phoenix. Barely two weeks old. Hermione instantly fell in love with the small thing. "I'll take her." She said softly.

The magical bird had few feathers on her body and her plume of feathers was the colour of fire. The bird's eyes were black and beady.

Aunt May left with a smile on her face.

"Can you believe that we're all that's left?" her Aunt Faye said to her brother-in-law. She looked exactly like May but she was sportier than her sister was. And she just didn't know when to be quiet.

Jeremy answered with a quiet 'hmm'.

Hermione nearly broke down in tears.

May was glaring at her twin. "Don't. Just – don't talk."

The three remaining Grangers and the last Roseau were sitting together at the head of the table. The guests had to sit further down the table.

Hermione felt someone looking at her and glanced up. She was met with stormy grey eyes. _We're leaving._ Draco told her.

Hermione's eyes became sharpened. _Why?_

_Something is going to happen._ Harry said. Hermione looked at him and saw that he was clutching his scar unnoticeably.

Her eyes widened. _Where? Here?_ At Ron's nod, _I have to warn them!_ "Aunt May, Faye, Uncle Jeremy, get out of here now." To anyone else, she would have appeared to be talking quietly with them at a leisurely pace.

"What's going to happen?" Jeremy asked, slowly rising to his feet.

"There's no time to explain. Please, leave now."

She was too late. She felt a cold blade press to her throat.

Draco watched in terror as his father put a dagger to Hermione's throat. He watched in terror as her uncle drew his wand, only to be killed by the Avada. He watched in terror as the last close member of her family fell to the floor, his wand slipping out of his cold, dead hands.

He leapt into action, drawing his sword and stabbing the closest Death Eater with it, forgetting about his wand completely.

"No! Uncle Jeremy!" tears fell again, blurring her vision.

Lucius Malfoy was going to pay for taking the last living Roseau. He would pay deeply.

She kicked her leg into the air, relishing when her foot connected with Malfoy Senior's nose. His grip on her lessened. It was enough to break out of his grip.

Her tears still blurred her vision but she could see clearly. Ron had sent some weak winds to dry her eyes.

"Why did you kill him? He's not even a Granger!"

"He was tied to the Grangers through you and your mother." Lucius replied.

"So basically, if I know the person deeply, you'll go after them and kill them? Why?"

"The reason I'm doing this, Granger, is because you're the wealthiest witch in the world. And you're not even in your twenties yet. I need to eliminate the competition. Our lord is after you because you're the strongest of the reincarnations. And you know it."

Hermione drew Raige. "No magic?"

In reply, Lucius conjured a long sword.

Hermione attacked savagely, stopping only when Draco rammed into her, knocking her to the ground. "She may have agreed to no magic, but I haven't!" Draco spat at his father. He raised his wand and threw a curse at him.

The room had been cleared of every one who was still alive except for Lucius, Harry, Ron, Draco and Hermione.

Lucius dodged the curse and, seeing who was left, disapparated.

Hermione knelt by her uncle's corpse. The last Roseau was now dead. The press would have a ball. She buried her head in his lifeless body.

Ashamed that they could do nothing for him, Harry, Ron and Draco turned away.

"I'll miss you forever." she whispered. She looked up and saw that his eyes were open. Shakily, she closed them. She would never see those blue eyes full of life again.

She would kill Lucius Malfoy for what he had done.

Hermione found her aunts in the cellars under the castle. Draco was carrying Jeremy's body. When they saw that their brother in law was dead, May fell to the floor, sobbing and Faye couldn't even look at his corpse a second time.

The damage done was extensive. For one, the remaining Grangers would never be the same again. Enough Death Eaters had fallen by the hands of her boys. No other people were harmed.

Harry sent word to Dumbledore with the use of a fireplace he found. Together they figured out that the twins would be safer at Hogwarts than anywhere else. Either that or they could lock them in a Gringotts vault. They went with Hogwarts.

Hermione dismissed the bodyguards that had failed to do their jobs. But then, it wasn't their fault.

Hermione was the first to go through the Floo network. As she stepped out of the fireplace, she noticed that she was not alone.

Professor Dumbledore, along with Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Madame Pomfrey, the head nurse, were waiting for them. She could just tell that there were people milling around the portrait outside the common room. The professors had come too quickly for it not to be an emergency.

Hermione was checked over quickly before Aunt May came through. Faye followed her. When Ron stepped out of the fireplace, she remembered what she had forgotten. Turning to grab the bag of Floo Powder from the mantel, Draco grabbed her arm.

"Let go. I need to go back."

"Why do you need to go back there, Hermione?" he asked quietly. The nurse was just finishing with Harry when she began towards them.

"I left something."

Draco looked mildly surprised. "What?"

"The baby phoenix. That's what." She yanked her arm out of her grasp, threw the powder in to the flames, walked into it and called, 'Granger Grounds!'

When she entered the hall, she looked around for the small creature she had left. It was cowering under an upturned chair; feathers had been singed from her tail.

She cooed to her, calming her. She did a quick evaluation of the damage done to her. Luckily, only her feathers had been charred. "It's going to be OK." She said softly. The small creature nestled into her breast, falling asleep almost instantly.

"I found her." She said as she emerged from the hearth.

A collective sigh rose from the gathered ones. While she had been away, Ginny and Lavender had joined them. As Ginny and Lavender saw what it was she had found, she gave her over to Dumbledore. "Please, take him. I'm not an expert on Phoenix's. You would take better care of her than I would."

The baby phoenix squawked and flapped its tiny wings and clawed at Dumbledore's hands. "I think she wants to stay with you." Dumbledore held out his hand and Hermione took the bird.

It was too much. Hermione fainted, conveniently hitting her head on the table next to her.

"Is she going to be OK?"

"Of course she is going to be OK! Madame Pomfrey has healed her head wound."

"Why is she still asleep then?"

"You idiot."

A slapping sound.

Hermione opened her eyes a pinch, blinked and opened them fully. Ginny and Ron stood over her. "What happened?" there was a red handprint on Ron's face and Ginny was rubbing her hand.

Ron looked down at her. "You went comatose."

What had made her go comatose? Then she remembered.

Bolting upright, pain shot through her head. She placed her hand on it. "Are my aunts OK? Where's the phoenix? And where's Draco?"

Ginny gently pushed her down. "Your aunts are fine. The phoenix is in your room. Draco hasn't left your side until now. He hasn't had any sleep since your fall. We had to get Demeter to _order_ him away from you."

Hermione grimaced as pain shot through her again. "How long?" she croaked out.

"Two weeks."

Her eyes widened and Hermione threw the bed sheets off her and jumped out of the bed. _Two weeks?_ "Please tell me that he wasn't by my side day and night?" Brief nausea made her sit down heavily.

Ginny smiled sadly. "He has. The baby phoenix hasn't eaten, either. Professor Dumbledore was trying to get it to eat but… I think it sees you as its mother."

Ron pushed her down gently and put the bed sheets over her again. "Madame Pomfrey gave us something to slip into Draco's pumpkin juice so he slept long enough to gain his strength back." He sat on the edge of the cot.

Hermione gave in. If she kept getting up, she would lose her strength and she had no desire to do that. Ginny tucked the sheets around her. "Can you bring the phoenix to me?" she asked quietly.

Ginny looked up. She saw that while she was hospitalised, she might as well find out what was wrong with the bird Cornelius had left. "Sure." She nodded. "I'll go and tell Harry that you're awake."

Hermione heard someone approach her cot and looked around to see that the head nurse had come. "How much longer am I going to be here?"

Madame Pomfrey drew the curtains around her bed and ushered Ron and Ginny out. "Depends how long it takes for you to get your strength back.

"Drink this." the woman pushed a goblet of fluoro green liquid into her hands.

Had Hermione been herself she would have asked what it was and sniffed it. Being that she was still exhausted, she gulped it right down. She made a face and coughed. "What was _that_?"

"Strengthening potion. Here." Madame Pomfrey gave her a new set of hospital clothes. She hadn't even noticed that she was wearing a blue night shirt until the nurse had pushed new ones at her.

The nurse left her and she changed. When Hermione called to Ron he came in and sat on the stool beside the cot. "Harry is on his way. So are your aunts, the baby phoenix and professor Dumbledore."

Hermione smiled miserably. "The whole Roseau line was destroyed. And I didn't even get my revenge." Ron stayed silent. Tears began to flood her cheeks again. "Tell me that he had a private funeral."

"He had a _very_ private funeral. So private that only seven people attended."

"Seven people?"

"Yeah, seven people. Professor Dumbledore, Madame Pomfrey, your aunts, Harry, me and Draco."

"Draco and I." she corrected automatically. "He went?"

"Yep. He thought that since you were in a coma he might as well go for you. He's been buried at his mansion in Nottingham." He smiled down at her. "His tombstone says 'he sacrificed himself for his niece.'"

"Draco left me by myself?"

"Ginny and Lavender were here. You were in very good hands, Hermione." Harry said from the part in the curtains. "You know what Madame Pomfrey said to me when we brought you in here? She said that out of all the people who come in constantly, you've been in here the most."

Hermione smiled. "Now that I think about it, I have been in here a lot."

Ron exclaimed: "group hug!"

Hermione laughed as Harry and Ron embraced her warmly. She hugged them both.

"Have I really been out for two weeks?"

Harry and Ron laughed, pulling away from her.

Hermione was released from the infirmary two days later. Draco woke up three hours after she had been in the Heads common room. Hermione smiled at Draco from across the room and looked at the baby phoenix in her hands.

She had found something the tiny bird ate the first day she had been awake in the infirmary. Hermione spooned seed and honey into the birds chirping mouth. She was glad to see that the small thing was regaining her strength. A thought occurred to her as she spooned more honey and seed into the phoenix's open beak. She needed to find a name for the little squawker.

Draco came over to her. "Are you OK?" he asked.

He looked dishevelled and as if he hadn't had a lot of sleep. "Don't ask if I'm OK. Are _you _OK?" she grinned. "I heard you didn't leave my side."

Draco blushed a deep shade of red. "Yeah."

She cocked her head. "It must've been cute to see." She cupped his face, not caring about the phoenix's resentful squeak. "I love you." she breathed, her breath tickled Draco's lips. He captured her lips in his.

"You never _did_ leave me did you? Not on you own free will?" Hermione asked.

Draco smiled onto her lips. "No, I didn't. Not for one minute."

12


	6. DEAR READERS

DEAR READERS!!!

I take this moment to apologise for the wait on the next chapters for both '_The Heirs_' and '_Mission_'.

I think there are three chapters remaining to be posted for '_The Heirs_', and they will be done, once a week until they are all up. And once those chapters are up, I will be discontinuing that story. I apologise. I have not worked on this story since 2004 and I have grown as a person and a writer since then. My writing has become darker, and I just overall have better stories. And as such, I cannot finish this fiction.

Now, to '_Mission_'. I WILL be finishing this. I have just had an extended – HORRIBLE! – Writers block. It sucks. Since I posted the last chapter, I have been unable to write more than a page. It sucks. And then, of that page, I've gone back over it three or four times deleting and rewriting what I had, convinced that it wasn't where I wanted this chapter to go. It sucks! It may take a while, but I WILL finish this one and I will update.

Another matter.

I will be changing my pen name. I will no longer be '_IceBitchFSF_'. I don't like that name anymore and quite frankly, it is no longer me. When I first had that pen name, I was going through a lot of crap, and as such, I didn't want anyone to even guess at what it was, so I was a complete and total bitch to anyone and everyone except for my faithful readers. My new pen name will be '_HeartShapedCandy_' in recognition of all the positive changes I have had (my partner, my baby girl – who just so happens to be a 10mth old Maltese x Shih Tzu names Candy – and my new career path), and I am over all a better person. (I got rid of all the _crap _in my life).

Thank you all for being so patient during this. The next chapter for '_The Heirs_' will be up tomorrow and the next chapter for '_Mission_' will be up as soon as it is ready.

Felicity

HeartShapedCandy,

Formerly known as IceBitchFSF

27/07/2009


	7. A Day

**DISCLAIMER:** NOT MINE!!!

The Heirs

Redone

~Chapter Six~

A Day

"I still can't believe that there are only three of us left." Aunt Faye said quietly as she sat in the guest's quarters. Dumbledore had placed Hermione's twin aunts in a suite not far from his office. That way, if they were in danger, it wouldn't take long for him to get to them.

Aunt May glared at her twin. "Cant you shut up for one moment?"

Hermione glanced up at them. "Don't start fighting again." She said, exhausted. "I can't take it, knowing that one of us might die in the next few days and having not done anything to prevent it."

Cyril, the baby phoenix her uncle Cornelius had left her, squawked from her perch on Hermione's shoulder. The small bird had barely left Hermione's side, following her around like a love sick puppy. It had gotten so bad that one time, Cyril, had followed Hermione into the shower. The baby bird had been soaked.

She idly raised her hand and let Cyril nibble on her finger. She was one month old now and her slight amount of feathers had become quite the plume.

"I have to go to class, will you take Cyril?" Hermione asked as she checked her watch.

Aunt Faye stood from the armchair she had claimed as hers. "I'll take her. I was going to go flying anyway." She took the bird from Hermione's shoulder, only to be bitten and pecked. "OK, on second thoughts." She looked apologetically at Hermione.

Hermione sighed and stood from the leather couch. She picked up her book bag. As she moved towards the door, she felt Cyril land on her shoulder. "See you later."

As she rounded the corner to the potions dungeon, she could be heard berating the baby phoenix. 'Crazy little bird. Never leaves me alone. Someone should give you a lesson on courtesy.'

Her class mates looked at her worriedly. They had all heard that she had spent another two weeks in the hospital wing. She wondered if they knew that she was a multi-billionaire.

Professor Snape swept past her and through the open door. "In." he barked. The Gryffindor's and Slytherin's went in immediately. Hermione took the seat between Harry and Ron. Draco sat on the other side of the room, two rows in front of her.

"I'd say welcome back but these are dangerous times." Professor Snape began icily. Cyril squawked indignantly at the professors' tone. Snape glanced sharply at Hermione. "Miss Granger, please tell me that bird came of its own free will."

Hermione clamped her hand over the bird's beak. "She did, sir."

He sneered and began to write up the ingredients needed for today's potion. "You will be working in pairs. I have already assigned them to you." he produced a piece of parchment and enlarged it, making it float over their heads.

Ron looked up and groaned. "He's paired us with Slytherin's of the opposite sex." He stifled a laugh. "Guess who you're with, Hermione."

"Draco?" she asked, hopefully.

"Nope. Crabbe."

"What?" Hermione looked up. Surely there was some mistake. Crabbe? No way. There, on that deadly piece of parchment, was her name. Next to Crabbe's.

She glared threateningly at Snape.

She packed up her things and walked over to Draco's burly – and stupid – friend. Draco looked at her with sad eyes.

As she dumped her stuff on the table, she muttered to Draco, "who are you with?"

"Parvati Patil." Hermione froze. Hermione knew that, despite that the girl was going out with Seamus Finnegan, she liked Draco.

She sat down heavily. "Parvati? She likes you, you know."

Draco looked mildly surprised. "As Crabbe likes you."

Hermione blanched. "Please. I'm sick enough already." Hermione put her hand under Cyril and winced slightly as her talons dug into her hand.

"…but I thought Parvati was dating Finnegan…" Draco murmured.

Hermione chose to ignore Draco for the rest of the lesson.

Crabbe made moves on her but Hermione deftly ignored every pass. Once, Crabbe had the nerve to put his arm around her. He ended up in the infirmary with broken bones and second degree burns.

Parvati flirted with Draco endlessly. She got off lightly, with only scratches on her face from Cyril.

Hermione's face was stark white with anger as she walked out of the potions dungeon. She was famous for her explosive tantrums in the Gryffindor common room and everyone in Gryffindor were always very careful not to anger her. This was one of those times – and Parvati Patil was the recipient.

* * *

Hermione's expression was that of a cat when she entered the Heads common room. She smiled evilly. Parvati Patil would never look at _her_ Draco again.

* * *

Professor McGonagall looked around the classroom. Her gaze fell on Hermione and her thin lips spread into a smile.

She knew that Hermione had been in a mourning stage for her parents when her grandparents had been killed. She was still recovering from that when both of her uncles had been killed. It appeared that she was over her family's deaths now and that she was no longer in a stage of mourning. Hermione wasn't afraid to smile anymore and a grin had developed on her face. Minerva knew of her family's great wealth, and Hermione was no longer afraid of what it would do to her. Minerva sensed that, in the next few months, Hermione was going to show her true self to the school.

Hermione no longer cared that, when people found out what she was, they would think she had bought her way through Hogwarts.

Minerva beamed; the girl she had nurtured, since she had come to Hogwarts, had grown up.

* * *

"So, have you made decisions on the Valentine Ball?" Hermione asked with a domineering air. She eyed each of the prefects with mild interest.

"The arrangements have been made." Anthony Goldstein, Ravenclaw's seventh year male prefect, handed Hermione a folder. She pulled the parchment out and skimmed through it. "All that has to be done is the preparations."

Hannah Abbott, Hufflepuff's seventh year female prefect, spoke, "it's going to be the best Valentine Ball ever." She said her eyes bright. She looked as if she might cry, she was that proud of her and Anthony's work.

Hermione passed the folder to Draco. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Draco read the seventh year prefect's work. "Indeed, it will." He murmured.

Draco looked at Hermione. "If the ball turns out to be a huge success, we might put them on the seventh year ball."

"Yep." Hermione said.

Hermione looked at the Gryffindor sixth year female prefect. "So, Ginny, how many points have been taken from the houses this last week?" the domineering air had disappeared.

Ginny grinned. "Well, from Hufflepuff there's been taken about five points. Ravenclaw has lost three. Gryffindor lost twenty points for fighting –" the grin grew wider "– Slytherin lost forty for starting the fights."

Hermione hid her smile beneath her hand. Draco and the other Slytherin prefects looked downright enraged. "There, there, Draco, it's not that bad. If I had caught them fighting, a lot more points than forty would have been taken."

Ron grinned, "at least I haven't been messing with the points again." Draco, Hermione, and the Slytherin prefects glared at him. Ron looked down. "I learnt my lesson in sixth year." Hermione could see his face turn red.

Draco shook his head, "back to the Valentine Ball. What time shall we meet tomorrow so we can set up?"

Ravenclaw's fifth year male prefect suggested, "What about midday? I'm sure we can all get out of class at that time. And you two –" he indicated to Hermione and Draco "– could give us hall passes."

Draco looked around. "Midday?" he was met with nods and smiles. "Midday it is." He looked back at Hermione again. She motioned for him to continue. "You'll get owls tonight with the hall passes. Try not to lose them _this_ time." The last time they had given out hall passes, one prefect had lost theirs and in its place two or three dozen passes had come out of nowhere. "Meeting adjourned."

"Ginny, Ron, stay behind, please." Hermione called. "You, too, Pansy." Pansy was still a Slytherin prefect. Hermione still didn't see how she was qualified for the honour.

"Can you wait outside?" Hermione asked her two friends. They nodded but hesitated. "I can deal with two Slytherin's." Her eyes laughed at them.

Hermione turned to Pansy as she heard the door click close. "Are you sure you want to do this, Pansy?"

The Slytherin girl looked down and nodded. She took a deep breath. "I walked in on my father and his Death Eater friends. There was a Muggle girl, lying beaten and broken not far from where they were. I could just tell that they had raped the poor girl. They were…talking about…killing you." She took another deep breath and looked up at her, eyes pleading. "You must understand, Granger, I may hate you but I don't hate you enough to let you die."

"Another death plot." Hermione muttered. "Are you sure you don't want to tell professor Dumbledore? He could do something for you…"

The girl before her shook her head. "No. You're Draco's girlfriend, I can trust you. I can't trust Dumbledore. I'm sorry, I just can't." Hermione suspected that it was what the _Daily Prophet_ had said about Dumbledore going senile two years ago that had this effect on Pansy.

_You can trust her, Hermione. She's my best friend, has been for all my life. _Draco said. He paused; _she really did see the Muggle girl._

Hermione sat down next to the girl. Pansy was crying silently now. "You have to go to Dumbledore with the information you have. There's nothing Draco or I can do." Pansy looked up at her. "I'm sorry, but you _have_ to go to Dumbledore." Hermione thought she looked a bit like a racoon, her mascara had run.

Draco sat down on the other side of Pansy. He rubbed her arm soothingly. "She's right, Pans, you have to go to Dumbledore."

After a few moments, Pansy nodded, her mind made up. "I'll go to Dumbledore."

Hermione smiled as she watched Pansy Parkinson flee the prefect meeting room, heading in the direction of professor Dumbledore's office. Ginny and Ron came back into the room. Ron threw a questioning look at Hermione and Draco. She shook her head inconspicuously.

"Don't ask." She said shortly. Turning to Draco, she said, "I'm going to Gryffindor Tower. I'll see you tonight, around eight." She smiled and stood on her toes. She kissed him on the lips for a moment then sank back to her feet, a dreamy smile plastered on her face.

Ginny groaned. "Oh, Merlin. A love sick Hermione, not a good sight." She grabbed Hermione's hand, called back to Draco, "see you later," and disappeared down the corridor. Hermione still had the dreamy smile on her face.

Draco looked after them, shaking his head in bemusement. "Crazy, that one." He muttered to himself.

"Don't call my sister crazy – its more like insane." Ron said as he made to follow his sister and his best friend.

Draco rolled his eyes and turned back into the meeting room. He packed up his bag and lifted it to his shoulder, thinking.

* * *

Hermione trudged to the owlery. Draco was behind her. He was carrying the hall passes with him. Setting the box down that held them, he turned to her. "I hate the school owls." He commented dryly.

"Uh huh." Hermione said, distracted. She bent down and picked up the box, quite aware that she didn't have to bend.

She called down an owl, gave him the passes for the Ravenclaw prefects, and sent him on his way. She sent the rest of the passes off and faced Draco. He was looking at her weirdly.

"Something the matter?" she asked, unsure.

Draco smiled. "Not at all." He took a step toward her.

She took a step back, suddenly scared. Draco's eyes grew concerned and Hermione sighed in relief. "I'm sorry. I'm just…never mind."

Draco took her in a fierce embrace. His lips covered hers. His hands moved to her neck, sweeping her hair back. He trailed soft kisses down her chin, to the soft hollow of her throat, moving back to her mouth.

Hermione gasped lightly and Draco pulled back. His eyes were cloudy. "Did I…?"

She put her finger to his lips. "No. We can't. Not here." She rasped.

Draco nodded and took her hand. He led her to the Heads common room. As they waited for the portrait to open, Draco kissed her hungrily. When it finally opened, Draco pulled her through. Hermione cast a locking charm on the room, so as to not let anyone enter when they weren't wanted. Hermione had sent Cyril off to see Fawkes, professor Dumbledore's phoenix, before she and Draco had gone to the meeting with the prefects. She had specifically told her to stay with Fawkes for the night. She didn't know if the bird _would_.

Draco pulled her to him. His mouth plundered hers. He pulled away to draw breath. Hermione smiled at him. She cocked her head innocently and began to unbutton her shirt. Draco's eyes never left hers.

Her lips moulded with his once again and she felt Draco's hand on her breast. Common sense would have made her stop and push his hand away as he gently squeezed her breast. Common sense would have made her stop anyway. But then again, she wasn't thinking straight. Draco slowly backed her into the stone wall and deepened the kiss even more. To those not experiencing the kiss they shared now, it would look as if Draco was trying to suck out her intestines. He moved to her neck.

Hermione giggled unexpectedly. Draco's hair had tickled her ear. Draco immediately ceased his feverish kisses. He looked up at her. "It's nothing." Hermione said softly, toying with a lock of his hair. Draco resumed his kissing, capturing her lips for another breathless moment.

Hermione didn't know how long they had been kissing. To her, it seemed like a lifetime had passed. She didn't want it to end.

Her eyes opened.

* * *

The prefects met in the Great Hall at midday. They had almost finished decorating the hall when Anthony came up to Hermione, eyeing Cyril. "I forgot to tell you something. The Weird Sisters are supposed to be coming at four thirty."

Hermione checked her watch. "Damn." It was four thirty now. "We have to meet them at the train station, don't we?"

Anthony nodded, a smile spreading over his lips. "They know me, so I just need someone to come with…"

Hermione groaned. "OK, I'll go."

She ran out of the hall and down to the carriages, Anthony beside her. When she reached the carriages, she did a double take. They weren't horseless.

"A Thestral." Hermione breathed. She was staring at one of the horses that could only be seen by those who had watched someone die.

The Thestral's head was dragonish. His eyes were pupil-less. Bat-like wing sprouted from its withers. Hermione approached it and ran her hand down its flank. She watched, fascinated, as the Thestral quivered under her hand. "You're beautiful." She whispered.

Cyril chirped, wondering why Hermione was acting so strange.

The Thestral turned his head at her. He nudged her with his head. Hermione giggled.

Anthony looked at her oddly. "Hermione, are you OK?" he asked.

Hermione jumped. "Can't you see him?"

Anthony eyed the Thestral. "See what?"

Hermione shook her head; obviously he hadn't seen someone die. "It's a Thestral."

She climbed into the carriage. Anthony nodded his head in recognition. "Oh." Was all he said. Hermione lapsed into a speech about Thestrals and had almost finished when they reached the train station. "Hermione. I don't want to know about Thestrals. OK?"

Hermione flushed a deep crimson and nodded. "Sorry."

Anthony laughed and patted her head. "Its OK, Little One, I forgive you." since they had been prefects together, since fifth year, Hermione and Anthony had become good friends. Within the first two weeks of their friendship, Anthony had dubbed her 'Little One' because she had been the shortest of the prefects. That name had stuck.

Hermione glowered at him and climbed out of the carriage. She was greeted with the sight of three very hairy women wearing black, thick cloaks. "Umm, hello." She stuck her hand out.

The closest one to her took one look at her hand and, unexpectedly, pulled Hermione to her. Hermione, still very shocked, stood stock still until the witch let go of her. She could hear Anthony laughing. "They _are_ the Weird Sisters, Hermione." He muttered to her as he walked past and gave each of the other women hugs.

"I kinda gathered that." She murmured. She gave the other two Weird Sisters hugs and waited for Anthony to introduce her.

Introductions made, Hermione led the Weird Sisters to the carriage. Before she stepped in, however, she asked about their luggage. In reply, the Sister that had ignored her hand waved her wand and shrunk their luggage. Storing their bags in her pocket, she grinned. "We carry all our stuff with us."

Hermione smiled in reply. "That I can see."

* * *

He was happy. Very happy. Something was finally going right. "Tonight. Tonight we attack."

Harry bolted upright from his position on the desk.

* * *

"So, Miss Granger, would you give me the pleasure of being my date tonight?"

"Of course. What make's you think I'd say yes to anyone else?"

Hermione looked at Draco seriously. There was only two hours left until the Valentine Ball. She laughed suddenly, easing the stern look on her face. "You know, I haven't heard the word 'Granger' leave your lips in a long time." She laughed at the perplexed look on Draco's face.

"Umm, yes." Draco replied, clearly – very – confused. He watched as Hermione checked her watch.

"Oh, umm, guess what." She said, standing slowly.

"What?"

"I have to get ready for the ball." She smiled at him cheekily and disappeared into her room. "I'll meet you in the Great Hall; I need to go Gryffindor Tower before it begins."

"Whenever there's a ball, she always disappears at least two hours before it begins." Draco turned to the sound of the voice.

It was Harry. He was watching Hermione's closed door cautiously. "I, umm, came to see Demeter. Do you know where she is?"

Draco looked at him worriedly. "What happened?" he noticed that Harry was wincing slightly. "What's going to happen?"

* * *

REMEMBER: Only two chapters left and i'll be considering this fic abondoned.

QUESTION!!! Does anyone know a good blood oath/ritual meant to secure a persons loyalty? I have no where to even begin with one.


	8. The Attack Has Begun

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. I make nothing from this.

The Heirs

Redone

~Chapter Seven~

The Attack Has Begun

Draco's breath caught in his throat. She was wearing a beautiful, low-cut, dress of gold material. Gold bracelets adorned her wrists. There was a gold chain around her neck with a fair sized ruby in the pendant. Her hair had been left down and it rested gently over her shoulders.

As she walked down the stairs, she gave him a light smile. "How do I look?" Hermione asked as she reached him. She spun slowly on the spot so he could see her better.

"Beautiful." He answered, awed. He took her hand and raised it to his lips, "every male in there will be jealous."

Hermione's smile came out full force. "Just as every female will be envious that I have the most charming wizard in all of Britain." She looked him over. He was wearing black robes that brushed the floor. His normally gelled back hair was falling over his eyes. "You look better when your hair isn't gelled." She said softly.

Something caught her attention at the Great Hall's doors. Professor McGonagall was looking at the two of them. Her gaze was steely. "You do realise that the ball cannot start without the Head Girl and Boy."

Hermione smiled at McGonagall. "I do. I don't know if Draco does though."

Draco rolled his eyes and, hand in hand, they walked into the Great Hall.

They had done an excellent job of decorating the Hall. Pink, red and white balloons had been tied in bunches and were placed in various places around the hall. Tables for eight were scattered around the edges of the dance floor, a blue tablecloth on each. Hermione didn't fail to notice that someone had placed red roses, in full bloom, in front of every seat. A banner above the teachers table proclaimed "Happy Valentines Day!" then underneath that was a smaller banner, "don't forget to kiss her!" that one, obviously, had not been approved by Hermione.

The Weird Sisters were, surprisingly, in white – ripped – attire.

Draco turned to her, "whatever happens tonight, Hermione, promise me you will not rush into it."

The harsh seriousness in his eyes made Hermione step back a little. "Draco?" she asked shakily. He had implied something she did not like the sound of. "What's going to happen?"

His hands reached her shoulders. "Promise me."

Draco, without waiting for her reply, kissed her deeply. Confused, she kissed back. She loved him. How could she not say yes?

The opening dance passed swiftly and Hermione was walking towards the refreshment table when someone reached for her hand. The man spun her into his arms and marched them towards the dance floor. "Umm, sir? May I ask what is going on?"

Professor Snape had totally taken her by surprise. His grip on her arms was painful. She knew there would be bruises in the morning. She winced as his fingers dug deeper into her skin. "You may." He replied icily.

Hermione frowned. He hadn't answered her question.

She pulled her arm out of professor Snape's grasp and turned to him. "_What_ is going on, _sir_?" she demanded, barely keeping her voice to a minimum.

Snape stopped. "We need to talk privately, Miss Granger. And as far as I can see, the dance floor is the most private place I can think of." He made a point to move back towards the dance floor. Hermione complied, grimacing.

As another song started up, Snape took her hands again. "See that man over there?" he nodded and then spun her into his arms. At Hermione's quiet 'yes', he continued, "Spy. McNair. Voldemort's." He moved to the side and spun Hermione out and drew her to him once more. "He's going to attack tonight." He let go of her hands and swept away, black robes billowing behind him.

She just stood there, staring after him.

* * *

_DRACO!_ Harry winced as that ran through his mind. He had seen Snape approach Hermione from their table. He couldn't have done anything about it, considering his girlfriend had taken a very harsh grasp on his hand.

_Draco is currently busy in the men's room, may I take a message?_ Harry replied for the poor guy. He sighed. _I wasn't –_

_I'm sorry 'Mione, for not telling you._ Draco's voice resonated. He sounded sincere. _When the Death Eaters get here, I want you to go up to your room and stay there until I come for you._

_I can't do that, Draco. I can't sit around doing nothing, when I know I'm the one that can stop it._ Hermione replied to Draco. _Not with all these children here._

_I couldn't live if anything happened to you. Please do this?_ Draco's voice became pleadingly soft. _For me?_

_I'm sorry, Draco. _Harry looked over at Hermione, standing over on the dance floor, by herself. She was looking at something outside on the balcony. _Not even for you. _Harry turned away as Hermione cut the link.

Ron stood, knocking his chair over and startling Lavender, who was sitting on his lap. "No, Hermione!" he yelled. Harry spun in his seat to see Hermione running out the Great Halls doors and Draco a sobbing wreck just inside them.

_CRONUS, DEMETER, TO ME, NOW!_ Harry roared in his mind. The surrounding people flinched. Cronus and Demeter appeared in a swirl of black smoke.

"Hermione? Where is she?" Cronus demanded. Realisation dawned, "she knows." He disappeared, black smoke swirling around him.

Harry looked around once more. People had turned to stare. Demeter looked crestfallen. Ron and Lavender were trying to comfort Draco. Snape was nowhere to be seen. Dumbledore looked mildly surprised about the outburst.

"Nothing to see here!" Ginny yelled at the onlookers. She walked over to Draco, pulled him to his feet, said something inaudible to him, looked over at Harry. 'Hermione' she mouthed, said something quietly to Lavender and the pair of them walked out of the Great Hall, in the direction Hermione went.

* * *

"She can't have gone too far," Lavender said softly. "We should check the Heads common room first. She's probably there, if not, the library."

Ginny sighed. "Harry told me that something like this would happen if Hermione found out. If only I had done something…"

Lavender looked over at Ginny. "There was nothing you could do."

As they turned a corner, Lavender spotted a rapidly moving form heading down the passage. "Hermione," she said clearly.

* * *

"You shouldn't have stopped her, man." Ron said sadly as he sat down in his chair, which had magic-ed itself right-side-up. "If you hadn't _forbidden_ her to do anything, she wouldn't have done that."

Draco sat down heavily, his head in his hands. "I know." He lifted his tear-streaked face, "I know," he repeated. "I'm so sorry."

"You shouldn't be apologising to us. But I'll accept it anyway." Harry muttered. He looked around worriedly. "Where's Cyril?"

Draco's head shot up higher. "She's not here? She was here a few moments ago."

* * *

Hermione screamed the password to the Heads common room the second it came in view. The surrounding portraits winced. One even had the nerve to shake its frame at her. "Stuff it, you!" she countered before disappearing into the portrait hole.

Hermione started when she almost walked into a squawking, hovering, Cyril. "What are you doing here? Didn't I leave you at the ball?"

Cyril screeched and perched on her outstretched arm. "If I don't come back, promise me you will look after Draco." If a bird could look unsure, it was definitely now. Cyril cocked her head and peeped. Hermione was clueless as to how to take this. She settled on taking it as a yes. "Thankyou." Her eyes softened. "I'll miss you and your impoliteness."

She went to the closet in her room and looked for something more suitable for her to wear. She draped a blood red cloak around her shoulders, covering the tight leather she was wearing. Putting a clip into her hair to keep it out of her eyes, she checked to see if her wand was still in her pocket. It wasn't.

Cyril shrieked from the bed head. Her wand was clamped between the birds beak. "Give me my wand, Cyril." She said calmly. The phoenix jerked her head once and spread her wings. Hermione had to admit, the baby phoenix had definitely grown. Her whole body was covered in feathers – unlike the time she had first seen the phoenix. "Cyril, I need my wand." Hermione said deathly quiet. She began to move closer to the bed head. Cyril shrieked louder and her talons loosened on the wood. "Cyril, wand, NOW!" the phoenix jerked her head and perched on Hermione's unfolded arm, as if she was going to do that all along. She refused to give Hermione her wand though.

"Fine, I'll go see Voldemort without my wand. Then I _won't_ come back, for sure." Cyril's beady black eyes widened and she dropped the wand into Hermione's palm. "Thankyou."

Wand safely stored in her pocket, Hermione went out to the terrace. She looked around sadly, then began to transform into her Animagi form. Her angel-like wings unfolded and she pushed off from the ground. Circling the castle one last time, she saw two figures pursuing another down a passage, through one of the windows. She could not recognise either of the people.

_Goodbye guys. _She said softly, broadcasting it around the whole school.

* * *

_Goodbye guys. _Ron heard Hermione say softly. Many things happened in that second. Every person on the dance floor turned to look at each other in bewilderment. Draco's head rose weakly out of his hands. Harry almost dropped his glass. Parvati looked up in wonder. Dean choked on the carrot he had just put in his mouth.

Contrary to popular belief, Ronald Weasley wasn't thick when it came to his friends. And this was one of those moments.

Before anyone had the chance to stop him, he had changed into his Animagi form – an eagle – and had disappeared out the Great Halls windows.

* * *

"Let go of me you prick!" Lavender shouted against the hand covering her mouth. She could hear Ginny screaming at her assailant. There was a soft groan as her heel connected with Lavenders attackers' foot. Not much of one though.

Something had made Hermione turn back around as she was heading towards Malfoy Manor. She didn't know what it was that had made her even consider it. All she knew was that it had something to do with her friends.

And to do with her friends it was. Hermione was startled to see that Virginia Weasley and Lavender Brown were trying (and not succeeding) to get away from the wizards in black cloaks and white masks. _Death Eaters_.

Hermione spread her wings and tossed her head, neighing loudly. The Death Eaters took no notice of her. So, she tried a different approach.

The Death Eaters scrambled out of her way as she charged through them. There were only seven of them. Pushing off the floor tiles with her right fore-hoof and her left rear-hoof, – mid gallop – she took flight again. She turned in an arc and it took about three seconds to change back. Hermione landed gracefully, legs straight, arms crossed over her chest with her blood red cloak billowing slightly. A few of the Death Eaters took this moment to come to their senses and charge her.

Deflecting a punch, she threw her fist into the Death Eaters stomach. Dodging a curse aimed at her head, Hermione threw a fireball at who ever it was that had sent it her way. Hearing the screams that ensued, she figured it hit the Death Eater. She hadn't been able to look because a curse had hit her leg, making her unable to kick anyone or even lean on it. She crouched and swept the Death Eater's (whom she had punched) feet out from under him with her other leg. She made sure her fist connected with his face.

Ginny and Lavender watched the scene in horror as Hermione drew her wand and shouted a curse at a Death Eater above her. They couldn't help but notice as one Death Eater stunned Hermione and tossed her over his shoulder. They couldn't help but feel as if all was lost.

* * *

Ron flapped his wings one last time. He could not have done anything, nothing at all. He had watched the scene in terror as Hermione – to say the least – was thrashed. He had been heading in the direction he was sure Hermione would have been going when a sliver of silver light had caught his attention. Ron had, of course, spun to find out what it was when his eyes had landed on Hermione changing from her Animagi form to her human one. He was too stunned to have done anything. And now his sister and his girlfriend were at risk because of it.

And not only that, his best friend had been taken captive – again.

And his best friend was supposed to be the strongest of the four Founders!

Tonight was not a very good night.

* * *

This was bad. This was very, very bad. Ravenclaw had gone after Voldemort herself. Hufflepuff had run out, trying to stop Ravenclaw. Slytherin and Gryffindor were just sitting there, looking lost. Something had to be done.

"That's it!" Demeter roared, surprising Draco and Harry. They jumped and looked at the white cat who had finally said something. "You two can't just sit here. You're the founders Heirs for my sake! Malfoy, get your skinny arse out of that chair now! You, too, Potter!" they jumped out of their chairs immediately; they hadn't heard her speak like this—ever. "Get these students back to their houses!"

There was a noise down the end of the table and Demeter turned her gaze to it. It was an eagle. Hufflepuff. "Glad to see you came to your senses. Now get over here!"

"Lavender and Ginny are gone." Ron said quietly. He looked away from them in shame. "They were taken by Death Eaters. Hermione, too." He let one tear fall from his eyes and squared his shoulders. "What do we have to do?"

Demeter sat, frozen. Two casualties already? _**The attack has begun.**_ Zeus' voice echoed in her mind.

_**Bit late don't you think?**_ She retorted. The king of the gods didn't answer her.

"Get everyone back to their dormitories. Assemble anyone who is skilled in Defence against the Dark Arts. Assign someone to make sure that the younger students stay in their Common Rooms." Demeter turned away and looked at the teachers table. Dumbledore was gazing at her intently.

_**Cronus.**_

Cronus' guilt-ridden voice boomed. _**What do you want?**_

_**We need you here.**_

_**Why? **_

_**The attack has begun.**_

* * *

Dumbledore locked eyes with the fluffy cat and instantly knew.

He stood and cleared his throat. "We must call an early close to the dance." There was a collective groan from the students. "It is of great importance that you follow your head of house to your common rooms. You will find out more from the professors once they are aware of what is happening, themselves. Goodnight to you all."

"Albus, what is going on?" Minerva asked, standing from her seat. She looked just the tad worried.

"You-Know-Who is going to attack." Severus said, earning a gratified smile from the Headmaster.

"What?" Minerva asked incredulously.

"Every seventh year that does extremely well in Defence Against the Dark Arts is needed. The sixth years are to watch over the younger years." Albus instructed as he watched the students look for their Head of House.

* * *

**REMEMBER!!!!! ONLY 1 or 2 MORE CHAPTERS BEFORE THIS IS QUIT. I HAVE NOTHING LEFT ON THIS.**

**Thankyou.  
**


End file.
